I Can See You Talking
by chocolate covered hot chilies
Summary: Multi-chapter story- Following canon up until 7x16 and then on to AU but sticking to the original idea of Grey's SL. Can one woman put her bitterness aside for the overpowering love of another human being? Can the other woman risk letting her back in?
1. Chapter 1

__Hello and welcome again. As you can see, I have changed my name from **Craftybastards** to this **Chocolate Covered Hot Chilies**. I promise you it will stay stationary now and I'm much more satisfied now than before. Thank you.__

__I am disclaiming any of my own originality in the characters herein from Grey's Anatomy. I am not now nor ever planning on profiting off the work of others by using said characters from Grey's Anatomy. __

_A/N: Thank you, everybody, so much for reading my stories and reviewing. I've been trying to keep on responding personally to each and every one of you that reviews and if I haven't gotten to you from recent posts, I will, promise._

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><p><em>This isn't my dream <em>were the very last words Callie heard leave her girlfriend's mouth. She went to bed and it was barely seven o'clock but it was that or crumble under the weight of the emotions from the day. Hell, from the year. Mark and Arizona were always at each other's throats anymore and Callie got the brunt of it from both of them. Mark would come to her whining like a kicked puppy and try to manipulate her to do his will. Arizona would pick fights with her and they always said things they ended up regretting but could never take back. It was all too much and she couldn't fix things no matter how hard she tried. Callie knew she'd forever be stuck in the middle of a never-ending dispute between the two and she just couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't bring an innocent child into the middle of that.

It was the last straw. The one that broke the camel's back or in this case, the pregnant woman's back. Between Mark and Arizona's constant bickering, and Mark on her case, and Arizona on her case, Callie was done. This wasn't their dreams and they made sure they told her that every chance they got. At this point, Callie wouldn't let either of them co-parent a dog for fear they'd end up in a physical tug of war match and she wasn't putting their child, her child, through that. They could work it out themselves or kill each other for that matter because she was through paying every day of her life for her mistakes; for all of their mistakes. She was the only one being held accountable. It was her fault Lexie took off because of Mark's soon to be spawn. It was her fault Arizona was so unhappy. Mark seemed to forget it took two to make a baby and Arizona never remembered leaving her at the airport in the first place. It was never brought up in any of the arguments that Arizona was the one that first broke it off and abandoned her, only what Callie did afterward that ever mattered. Callie screwed up but this was her second chance and nobody was going to ruin it.

Boarding the plane to Washington, DC, Callie was never looking back. Looking back got her nowhere and she was tired of barely keeping her head above water as it was. She left a note for both of them, it simply read: _I'm sorry._ And she was. She emailed in her resignation. Packed everything she'd need until she could replace the rest, and she left. She was well aware she was letting everybody down. Disappointing them yet again but that made little difference if she stayed or went; it'd always be the case for her. Nobody wanted this life; they were both stepping up to the plate out of responsibility but Callie wasn't going to hold them hostage to it anymore.

It had only been three and a half months since the job offer at George Washington University Hospital and after a little research, she found the position to still be open. She hoped, as her plane touched down, that she'd still be welcomed as it was her only option. She booked a hotel room, picked up an apartment guide, and made a backup plan just in case. Mark would at least look for her, it was his child after all, but she would do everything in her power to protect the baby growing in her womb, even from him.

It took a month and a half before they located her. Her landline had barely been hooked up for a month when it rang for the first time. It was Addison on the other end and Callie could only figure Mark had enlisted her help in his search. Addison wasn't mad or judgmental even but how could the woman that once aborted Mark's baby be? Callie explained what happened that caused her to leave, as neutral as she could. Addison told her how worried Mark had been. Just Mark. But then again this was Arizona's out and Callie knew the blonde needed a clean break just like the rest of them even if she'd never have asked for one. Callie felt guilty, every day she felt guilty but that would fade over time until Callie wasn't even a fleeting memory for any of them, just a blip, a mistake to put behind them.

"You need to go back or at least let Mark come there." Addison understood what her friend was going through but also understood Mark's feelings at the desertion.

"There's nothing for me in Seattle anymore, Addison."

"Callie, if I found you, he'll find you too." Addison was in the middle of two people she cared very much for and she felt awful.

"There's no reason he needs to find me." Callie wasn't sure if Mark was in the room with Addison or not but it didn't matter because anything she said, she was sure would get back to him anyway. She didn't blame Addison for that; the redhead was only trying to help.

"Callie…" The woman sighed through the phone.

"I have nothing he wants, Addie."

"Callie, you're carrying his baby." She sounded sympathetic.

"Not anymore." Callie cringed at the gasp on the other end of the phone.

"Callie, you didn't? You were so far along." As a prenatal surgeon, she couldn't imagine any doctor with a conscious aborting a second trimester fetus for no medical reason. The idea made her skin crawl and for a few seconds she wanted to yell at her friend for agreeing to go through with it regardless of the brunette's state of mind at the time.

"I didn't, nature did." Callie's voice was so small as months of pain crept its way past her walls and defenses.

Addison didn't know what to say, she heard the sadness clearly through the phone and wanted nothing more than to take the pain away. Take everybody's pain away.

"Can you just, can you tell him? Tell him I love him and always will but I need to start over now, now more than ever." Callie would never go back to Washington, especially now she could never go back.

"If you ever need anything, you have my number." Addison sat quietly watching the two blonds in the room fight back the tears as they listened to the conversation over speakerphone.

"I'll be okay." Callie shrugged as if Addison could see her.

"And Arizona? What do I tell her?" Addison's only need was to now give them all closure. There was nothing else anybody could do now and maybe this was for the best all around.

Callie sucked in a very audible deep breath. "I'll always love her." Her voice cracked. "It was always her and I'm sorry I didn't do enough to show her that_. It'll always be her_." Callie wiped at the tears cascading down her cheeks. This was the right thing and she had to keep telling herself that or she'd board the next flight home and beg for forgiveness. Beg to be loved. Beg until Arizona took her back.

"Call me, I'm serious." Addison didn't get to finish before the line went dead.

And that was that, Callie's ties to the West Coast were severed. She cried herself to sleep that night although she'd already done her fair share of shedding tears over the past few months. This was what had to be done and now there was no going back.

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><p>Callie stayed just under the radar at GW. She did her job and did it well but never anything extraordinary to bring any unwanted her attention her way. She didn't date coworkers, she sure as hell didn't sleep with any of them either, and at the end of the day, she left work at the hospital. Though her free time was limited, she still made herself a real life in DC. Her small circle of friends was from outside the hospital and she made sure nobody ever got too close from inside. She'd cut ties with Washington but her heart remained there still to this day and she figured there was little she could do to change that.<p>

Three thousand miles away life went on as well. Arizona casually dated, never settling down, or even wanting to anymore. Mark went back to screwing anything in scrubs that looked his way. The two of them had grown close, bonding over their loss of Callie and the loss of their unborn child but not even that filled the void left behind. They both knew Callie was in the other Washington, not her exact location although it was easy enough to find out but neither wanted to care either. She left them, abandoned them, and neither forgave her for that. They just couldn't.

Every Thursday night, Callie found herself surrounded by the most honest and nonjudgmental friends she'd ever had. They knew her story for the most part, maybe leaving out a detail here and there, and they still accepted and embraced her. She'd grown a lot over the past few years. If she still talked to anybody that knew her only five years ago, even her parents, she was absolutely sure nobody would recognize her. Her days of bar and bed hopping were left in Seattle and friendly gatherings to just drink had turned into dinners and unloading the burdens of life onto people that really understood. Here, Callie wasn't constantly apologizing for her past but instead making a solid attempt at a future.

"Callie, why don't you date?" For almost three years now, Liz watched Callie become an important part of their world and she couldn't help but wonder why such an amazing woman chose to stay single. Maybe her life wasn't so easy but there were people out there that would look past everything and still love her. They all did.

"Please tell me when I have time." Callie laughed. Thursday was basically her only free time and she preferred it to be with her friends than over awkward conversation with a person she barely knows and probably won't understand things anyway.

"You could date instead of spending your one night off with us." Liz's wife, Melissa pushed a little harder. She knew Callie's whole story unlike the rest of them but it was time; Callie had been here long enough and it was time.

"No thanks, I enjoy your drama too much to pass it up." Callie smiled sweetly.

"We don't have drama." Stacy piped in from her place in the kitchen where she poured drinks.

"Please, the four of you breathe drama." Callie teased hoping to somehow get the conversation off of her.

"I'd be insulted if you were wrong." Noah laughed as his wife and friends glared in his direction.

"Besides, it's just too complicated. Bringing someone into my life just wouldn't work. I already have more on my plate than I can handle some days." It was the truth and though she believed the majority of people out there to be good people she couldn't fathom she'd find a good person willing to take on her situation too.

"So when's the last time you had sex then?" Liz recoiled when her wife elbowed her in the ribs.

"Rude!" Callie laughed at the pout Liz was now sporting.

"Was she that amazing?" Stacy couldn't imagine anybody being that good to go that many years without having sex but maybe there were some that just would never compare and why have grapes when you once had grapefruit?

"Who?" Callie wasn't sure whom they were talking about since she hadn't had a single date since moving to DC and they knew it.

"The one you left in Washington, in Seattle." Melissa chimed in again.

"Oh, her. Yeah, she was one of a kind." Memories of Arizona didn't hurt so much anymore. She could finally look back without pain or bitterness. She could look back and remember just what it felt like to love the blonde without anything getting in the way.

"You still love her." Noah didn't often say anything, especially when it came to the personal life of his friends when they clearly didn't want to get into it but he could tell, just from the way Callie glowed at the mention of her ex that she was still head over heels in love with her.

"I'll always love her; it just wasn't going to work out." Which was true. Things were still going to turn out the way they did and that would only have caused another rift to come between them. "But I needed to start over, you guys know that. We didn't want the same things and I- I screwed up a lot. There was no sense in making her pay for my mistakes."

"You deserve to be happy too." Liz only wanted everybody happy.

"I deserve what I have. Come on guys, I'm fine." Callie pasted on her fake smile. "But it's getting late and I should be getting home."

"Do you still want me to stop by the hospital on Tuesday to get some practice in?" Noah got up to walk Callie out.

"I have three surgeries that morning so if we could make it for two o'clock, that'd be great. Now if my fingers haven't fallen off by the end of the day, that'd be even greater." Callie sighed.

"You'll be able to start taking classes again once you fill the position at work and you aren't that far off track. You'll be fine." Noah hugged her. They were the closest out of the group although you couldn't tell from looking in. He had once been in her situation although reversed as he was the one left high and dry to take matters into his own hands but he still understood. He'd found love and happiness in Stacy and he didn't doubt that one day Callie would find somebody to fit into her life as well.

"Do you know the other day I told somebody I was taking a poop? A poop, Noah. I meant a break." Callie didn't have the faith Noah did but he did give her the strength to keep going anyway.

"It's a simple mistake and anybody that knows your situation understands. Granted you might have been the butt of a few jokes later, no pun intended." Noah smiled when Callie chuckled.

"I'm going to have arthritis by the time I'm fifty." Callie laughed.

"You'll be fine. I'll see you Tuesday." Noah waved off his friend and returned to the remaining group to give them hell for giving Callie a hard time when she had it rough enough as it was.

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><p>She was livid. The flight over did nothing to settle her emotions and if anything, they were now more on the surface than when she left. The longer she was made to wait, the angrier she got, and she'd been waiting for what felt like hours. She heard her laugh before she even saw her. The elevator binged, she could hear the doors open to that laughter and it only served to make matters worse. How dare she laugh and enjoy life when-when she left so much pain in her wake. And then she saw her, smiling to her elevator companion and waving goodbye. The pain coursing through her system was no longer from the just the betrayal alone; seeing the woman after all these years stirred feelings deep within that she'd spent so much energy trying to tell herself were nothing. Callie was heading down the hallway toward her, her full attention on retrieving something from her purse, and oblivious to what wait lying ahead of her.<p>

"Dr. Torres, I'm glad I caught you." An intern came running up to the tall brunette with a chart in his hand. "Mr. Simmons needs another round of pain meds and I can't find Dr. Jenkins anywhere."

Callie laughed, "Dr. Jenkins can be found watching the game in the Attendings lounge. I'll sign off but in the future, please hold him accountable to his job." She took the chart and scribbled something before handing it back. As she looked up toward the intern, she caught the blue eyes boring holes into her from a distance. Her breath caught in her throat and her first instinct was to run. To turn back toward the elevators and find another exit far away from what she could tell was a very angry blonde. If she wasn't sure that Arizona would continue to pursue her, she would have done just that, but putting off the inevitable would only make things worse.

"Thanks Dr. T, have a good week off." Waiting until the other doctor was out of sight, Callie continued toward Arizona with her head held high until she was just a few feet from the other woman.

"I want to see my daughter." Arizona growled, her body shaking from the overload of emotions now bubbling through her usually controlled demeanor.

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><p><em>Post Script Author's Note: I'm very fortunate to have this story completely finished and plan to try to post updates regularly (every few days based on my schedule with a week in between posts max). Most times when I sit down to write, I can birth an idea, get a few chapters written, and then I have to chase the idea around a while until it's fully formed; this is a real treat for me. I had so much fun writing this, it's been a long time that I wrote something without being under loads stress. I really hope you enjoy it. Please bear with me through the angst and I promise you that you won't be disappointed. Or if you are, you can chase me around a while and tie me up by my toes. Thank you again for taking the time to read and review, your thoughts and words are appreciated. If something strikes your fancy while reading it, feel free to contact me. Nothing is set in stone; the future can be changed. :)<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Um, WOW! Like seriously WOW-WOW! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I was thoroughly surprised and astonished to how well this first chapter went over. I know some of you are hesitant about this being a Post-Africa story line but stick with it and you'll be pleasantly surprised to see I'm going as far from Africa as one can get, I just needed a jumping point. Hopefully I got to each of you that messaged and reviewed and answered any questions. I'm sure this chapter will bring a few more about so feel free to ask more and I'll answer them to the best of my ability without giving too much of the story away._

_Thank you to a dear woman that always keeps me in check. Wait, I lied, she's the worst influence on me, ever. But she's still awesome and makes me almost believe the kind things says. She's the reason I have the the courage to post on here in the first place and I thank her for everything she is to me. So thank you hun._

__I am disclaiming any of my own originality in the characters herein from Grey's Anatomy. I am not now nor ever planning on profiting off the work of others by using said characters from Grey's Anatomy.__

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><p>"<em>I want to see my daughter." Arizona growled, her body shaking from the overload of emotions now bubbling through her usually controlled demeanor.<em>

Callie almost tripped as she skidded to a halt as the words assaulted her as if they were attached to the end of a gun. She almost collapsed as the weight of the world came crashing down on her shoulders. A confrontation she had expected if she ever saw Arizona again. The blonde letting Callie know that she was a chicken, a failure, nothing but the biggest mistake of her life- that was expected. But the words that slapped the brunette across the face were _never_, not in a million years, ever expected to leave Arizona Robbins' mouth. Arizona was never the person Callie ever expected to be showing up for her daughter. _Their _daughter.

She wanted to ask where Mark was. Did he know? How Arizona even found out but she wasn't ready to answer any questions herself and nodded in agreement instead. What more could be said anyway?

"Do you have a car?"

"Do I look like I have a car?" Arizona looked down at her small overnight bag and suitcase. "I came straight from the airport so no, Callie, I don't have a car." Her tone was clipped.

"I parked in the garage." Callie didn't wait and started walking away with Arizona fast on her heels.

The car ride was in complete silence. The air was so think you'd need a bone saw to cut through it. Both women were lost in their own thoughts with little to say to each other and so many questions needing to be answered at the same time. Arizona sat quietly looking out the window most of the ride, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. Callie felt like a stranger to her. The woman she once loved would never have done this in a million years and she wanted- no, needed to know why. She was sure they'd get there but first she wanted to see her daughter. The little girl she buried in her mind all those years ago. The one she still mourned over to this day. Arizona didn't realize how much her dreams had changed until Callie stole them away and she wanted them back. She had no real claim over the little girl and she knew it but she was going to fight anyway. She wanted back what was taken from her and she'd do anything to get it.

"We're here." Callie's voice was rough from trying to keep from crying for the past twenty minute ride; they seemed to have hit every light in the city, of course, which only made the ride twice as long.

After putting in her code, Callie drove under a tall high rise and into a garage. They remained lost in their own thoughts as they rode the elevator up to the lobby.

"Dr. Torres, you're late tonight." The young man behind the counter turned to retrieve the doctor's mail.

"Late surgery, Kennedy." She smiled sweetly at the man as he handed over her mail.

"Sofia got out again. Mrs. Peters was crazy but I found her up on the fourth floor wandering around." Kennedy was the eyes and ears for Callie when she wasn't home and she couldn't thank him enough for all he did.

She sighed deeply wishing today of all days they didn't have to deal with this. "Thanks for keeping your eye on her, I'll figure something out."

"It's no problem, Dr. Torres. You know we all adore her. Not a single person in the building would ever hurt her." Kennedy truly believed it too; he saw the good in all people even the woman standing behind apartment number seven seventeen giving Callie the death glare from behind.

"Still, it's been going on too long. It can't happen again. I'll- I'll figure something out, I'm sorry." Callie caught the look of anger and confusion on Arizona's face as she turned around. At least the blonde was nice enough to wait until the elevator before she ripped Callie a new one.

"She just gets out from the babysitter and roams the building? That can't be safe. There's what, two hundred apartments in here? Not everyone's a good person, Callie."

"You don't think I know that, Arizona?" Callie snapped. She didn't need another person lecturing her.

"So what, you just give her free reign? What a good mother you turned out to be."

"Don't. Don't you dare question me as a mother. I'm doing the best I can. It's not that simple, Arizona. Things just aren't that _simple_." Callie growled. Really, another person telling her she wasn't doing a good enough job. Another person to make not so empty threats about her daughter. Callie wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"Maybe if you hadn't run away, you'd have more help since you obviously can't raise a child on your own." Arizona didn't catch the devastation on Callie's face, not that it would have made much difference to her at this point. She didn't get it, she didn't understand, and she had no clue just how wrong she really was.

Not another word was spoken as they finished their ride up to the seventh floor. Callie didn't know how to explain and she wasn't sure Arizona would listen anyway. She had to see for herself to understand. She had to see for herself what was going that would surely send her back to Seattle faster than she found herself here.

Before she could knock, a woman opened the door and greeted Callie with a warm smile and a hug. Kennedy always called up to let her know when Callie was on her way so she could have the young girl ready. "Callie, you look tired sweetie."

"It's- it's just been one of those days." Callie looked at Arizona who was awkwardly waiting a very short distance away before turning back. "Kennedy told me. It's not your fault." She sighed. It wasn't Jenny's fault, Sofia could probably break out of Fort Knox when guarded by secret service; her daughter was that good.

"I'm so sorry, I thought she was asleep." Mrs. Peters was genuinely upset which meant Callie would be yet again, adding a bonus into her weekly pay. For all the stress her daughter put her babysitter through, Callie might go broke on bonuses before the girl was five.

"I know. I have an appointment tomorrow, we're going to-" Callie looked back over at Arizona before she continued. She didn't want to discuss this in front of her right now. "We'll figure something out."

"Callie, I'll be more vigilant in the future, you don't need to worry about this." Mrs. Peters, Jenny, knew what Callie was talking about and knew how much it was going to destroy the doctor if she had to do it. She would do anything she could even if it meant sitting perched in front of her door the whole time she had Sofia under her care and Callie knew it. Callie knew it but couldn't put her through it anymore.

"I have to. I'll talk to you more about it later." Callie's eyes motioned toward the stranger with them and the babysitter nodded. "Sofia!" She hollered and a little girl popped out from behind the door with her book bag on her back, more than ready to go.

"Say goodbye." Callie signed and spoke to the little girl confusing Arizona. Obviously, Sofia heard her yell but now Callie was signing to her too.

Sofia merely waved at Mrs. Peters and walked out past the two women across the hall where she stood waiting for Callie to open their apartment door. Once inside, Callie put everything down and watched her daughter carefully. They had a very long night ahead of them, at least she did.

"Go sit down, Sofia. We need to talk." Arizona didn't understand why Callie was speaking and signing still but instead watched the little girl quietly do as she was told.

"Is she-" Arizona wasn't expecting what she presumed was a deaf little girl and wasn't sure how to proceed. Her anger was forgotten for a moment as she tried to absorb the new information.

"No. No, she's not deaf. She's mute." Callie rubbed her hands over her face. Could today get any worse? "They diagnosed her mute and Autistic. She's not Autistic. Yes, she doesn't talk but she's not Autistic. She feels more than- than you. She just doesn't talk. I don't know why; nobody does."

Arizona was shocked into silence and followed Callie over to where Sofia sat on the couch waiting.

Callie waited until her daughter looked up at her. "Why Sofia? Why do you keep leaving?" Callie signed and by her movements alone you could tell she was at wit's end, her voice was raw with emotion as well.

"No, you know Sofia, that's not a good enough answer. You know it's dangerous." Sofia casually signed back to her mom, shrugging before her attention went back to the doll in her lap.

"Sofia!" Callie clapped loudly. "No more. You can't do this anymore. Do you understand me? It's dangerous. I can't lose you, I can't." Sofia watched her mom holding back tears as she scolded her and jumped off the couch, crawling into her lap on the chair. It was true that Autistic children didn't often feel empathy and here Sofia was comforting her mom. That wasn't a normal trait but something was still very obviously wrong with the child that didn't speak.

Arizona sat quietly in the background watching Callie hug tight to her daughter as tears streamed down her face disappearing into the brown head of hair tucked under her chin. She felt helpless, like an outsider looking in on a private moment between mother and daughter. When the young girl pulled away, she finally acknowledged Arizona's presence and signed to the blonde.

"She wants to know who you are." Callie translated unsure how to answer herself.

"I'm, um, Arizona." She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. It was a lot easier being just mad at Callie; she hadn't actually figured out what she would do when she saw her daughter.

Callie laughed when Sofia looked up at her and signed. "Yes, kind of like the state but not really."

"She just learned her states. Sometimes she sits in with Mr. Russell's third grade class. Mr. Russell keeps her occupied when she gets – bored. I think she has a crush on him." Callie explained why her four and a half year old daughter knew the fifty states.

Arizona let out an awkward chuckle. They were being civil thus far and that wasn't something she was expecting either, not that she'd yell and scream in front of a child but their tones with each other were definitely not an indication that they had years of pain boiling just underneath the surface either.

Satisfied with her mother's answer, Sofia hopped off Callie's lap and went to her room to play leaving the two women to stare silently at each other.

"Callie-" Arizona was trying desperately to take it all in.

"I need to get Sofia ready for bed." Callie jumped up and disappeared before Arizona could start something Callie wasn't ready to finish.

For too long after Sofia had fallen asleep, Callie stood just watching her daughter. It was in these moments that she could relax and forget, just for a few minutes, that life wasn't so messed up. She could watch her daughter sleep and forget that tomorrow their world was going to be blown wide open and she had the fight of a lifetime on her hands. Callie needed these moments because they came so sporadically. She needed it right now as she was wishing against all hope that she'd return to find the living room empty and Arizona gone. A sick child was never what Arizona wanted and regardless of how Callie saw her daughter, society still labeled her sick. Sofia had to go to special schools, counseling, testing after testing but to Callie she was still perfect. A little trying at times, obstinate, but perfect. She was Callie's little girl and that's all that mattered. Finally leaving Sofia's room, Callie was surprised to see Arizona still sitting on her couch. She had no idea what lay ahead for the two of them and she wasn't sure she could handle it on top of everything else. She walked past Arizona into the kitchen to clean up from breakfast. It was to keep herself occupied, to give herself something to do over the next few minutes.

"Have you taken her to the National Institute of Health? They have an excellent mental health facility." Arizona did an internship there back in high school and she knew the wonderful advances in children's mental health they'd made even back then.

"There's nothing wrong with her mental health!" Callie snapped refusing to turn around and face her.

"She's almost five years old and doesn't speak, Callie. She was caught wandering the halls of your apartment building and I can only guess by your conversation with the babysitter that it wasn't the first time." Arizona was trying here but she didn't know what to do and obviously, she didn't know what to say either.

"She just gets bored easily." Callie knew it was more than boredom but a lot of it was. Sofia preferred life to go a little faster than the speed most people took with children and she really did get bored.

"And her lack of speech, Callie? Come on; look at the big picture here, something's wrong." Arizona was _really _trying to remain calm but Callie kept snapping her head off. It wasn't _her _fault Sofia was- was- was different. She didn't get a say in treatment from the beginning and she didn't get a say in anything else. Callie was going to hear her out because she was tired of not getting any say in the matter.

"You don't think I know that? I've done everything. We've seen all the specialists. All of them and they each have their own stupid opinions and diagnosis." Callie hung her head over the sink, gripping onto the edge for dear life. "She's not Autistic, there's nothing Autistic about her. Even if she was, it wouldn't matter but she's not. _She just won't talk_. She's not stupid; she picked up sign language like it was nothing. She understands everything I say, she just won't talk, okay? She's fine and I'm tired of people telling me otherwise. I'm tired of people telling me to put her in a home, that it'd be better for both of us. It wouldn't be better; her home is here with me. I'm her home!" Callie started sobbing over the sink; she was so tired of fighting everyone.

"Callie-"

"No. No Arizona. Just go. Go back to Seattle. I don't need you coming here and telling me how to run my life. We're just fine. Sofia is fine. You came. You saw. Now go home." Callie recoiled when Arizona placed her hand on the small of her back for comfort.

Her anger at the betrayal was put aside for now as she refused to let Callie pull away. Taking the broken woman in her arms, she let Callie break. "You don't have to do this alone." She pulled her arms tighter around the sobbing woman when Callie finally gave in to her embrace. "You never had to do this alone." Maybe she always understood why Callie thought she had to leave and maybe part of her even forgave her for it but right now that didn't matter. What mattered was her daughter in the other room needed her; they both needed her.

After the storm subsided, Callie pulled away as if anymore contact would burn the flesh off her bones. She hadn't had anyone hold her in years; nobody to console her all those nights when she cried herself to sleep nor when she spent hours searching for Sofia on the streets only to find her hiding in a cabinet or closet safe inside. The feeling of comfort was now a foreign concept to her, especially from the blonde.

"It's late and I have an early meeting at Sofia's school tomorrow." Callie's head hung in shame from her breakdown as the tears began drying on her cheeks.

"What time?"

"Arizona, really, go home." Callie's voice held less conviction, less anger.

"What time, Calliope?" She wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Eight." Callie frowned, fighting with Arizona was useless, and she'd never win. She never won.

"I'll be here at seven. If I go check into a hotel, can I trust you to still be here in the morning?" Arizona watched shame color Callie's cheeks. She deserved that jab and knew it but it still burned.

"Just- just stay. You can have my room; I'll take the spare bed in the office." Callie still couldn't make eye contact with her as she left the kitchen for the sanctuary of her home office.

* * *

><p>Arizona couldn't sleep although the bed was much more comfortable than that of a hotel. Coming to DC, she did not expect this. None of it and she wasn't prepared. She was always prepared. She didn't have a plan. She didn't know what to do, how to help, or how to get through to Callie. At six, she gave up trying to sleep and got ready for the day. When she went to wake Callie to talk about what the meeting would entail, she found the spare room empty and the bed still made as if it had never been slept in. She almost crumbled under the fear that Callie did it again. That she took their daughter and ran. Quickly, Arizona raced to Sofia's room and sighed in relief as she saw her ex-girlfriend in bed with a very wide-awake child. Sofia lay there, watching the other woman with wonder before she crawled out from her mom's arms and joined Arizona in the other room. They stood staring at each other with curiosity, neither knowing what to do.<p>

"Do you want some cereal?" Arizona hoped Callie was right about Sofia understanding because all she could sign was: _I love you, thank you, and maybe twenty of twenty-six letter of the alphabet._ When Sofia nodded and went to the kitchen table, Arizona found her way into the kitchen, snooping around until they both had a bowl of cereal in front of them. They didn't talk over their meal but instead shared looks and facial expressions.

That was how Callie found them; Arizona was making a goofy face and her daughter had the biggest grin on her own that Callie hadn't seen for a very long time. As soon as Callie entered the room, Arizona went frigid again. She'd forgotten why she was even there until Callie's presence reminded her and she quickly put up the walls around her heart again.

"Sofia." Callie waited until she had her daughter's undivided attention." I put out your clothes; get changed, brush your teeth while I get ready, and I'll do your hair when I'm done." The very un-morning person Callie still managed to sign with ease only minutes after waking up which surprised Arizona greatly. Some mornings Arizona had trouble even getting her girlfriend to talk in complete sentences until she had a full cup of coffee in her system and another one on the way.

Sofia refused to move, crossing her arms over her chest in a sign of rebellion.

"Now Sofia!" Callie ordered; her hand movements were as clipped as her voice.

Sofia argued back, or at least that's what Arizona thought she was doing as her hands flailed wildly at her mother.

"Go get ready for school." Callie snapped. She wasn't so mad at the young girl but at the fact that her refusal to leave the table was because she didn't want to leave Arizona. That hurt Callie more than she cared to admit.

Again, the little girl's hands went crazy but Callie's went just as fast with no words coming from her mouth this time. She was no longer translating but by the way they both kept pointing in her direction, Arizona could only assume they were arguing over her. Eventually Callie won and Sofia stomped off to her room making sure Callie knew just how displeased she was over the situation.

Skipping breakfast, as was always the case for Callie, she poured herself a cup of coffee and started for her room.

"You should eat, Callie."

"I don't have time." Morning greetings were lost on the two and Callie had hoped for another few minutes before she had to address the blonde elephant in the room.

"Do you ever take time to take care of yourself?" Arizona knew she was picking but she needed the arguing if only to let her know she had a chance here. Callie ignoring her never went well in the past; when Callie ignored something it meant she was done, finished, over it. Arizona wasn't something to just be over this time.

"If she's not deaf, why do you sign to her?" When Callie sent the dirtiest look in her direction, Arizona realized that maybe arguing wasn't the way to go especially when Callie just started on her coffee.

"Because if I don't practice, I'll have no idea what she's saying to me. I'm terrible enough as it is. Most of Sofia's friends and their families are deaf anyway. It's a very lonely community if you can't communicate with them." Callie often times sat back and watched because she just wasn't fluent enough to keep up. It was hard enough not having anybody to talk to at home but in public sometimes she was just as alone.

"You don't seem terrible." Arizona wanted to point out that the two of them just had a five-minute argument without Callie uttering a single word and that Sofia seemed to understand her just fine but she wasn't so sure Callie would accept such a compliment without dissecting it for another meaning.

"For a year, every single night, I'd tell Sofia to eat her vegetables but I was telling her to eat blocks. She let me too. She thought it was funny. She knew what I meant; some words are so close sometimes and I screwed it up. One of her friend's moms finally corrected me but it still happens, the little mishaps that change the meaning of what you are really saying into something else entirely. It takes about eight years for non-deaf people to become fluent and with my schedule, I already miss enough classes."

"Oh." Arizona wasn't even sure she was heard as the door shut between them.

* * *

><p>"Dr. Torres, thank you for coming in <em>again<em>. Please take a seat." The Dean merely nodded at Arizona and obviously unsure of her presence here today.

"Not a problem, you know I'd do anything for Sofia." Callie had been dreading this meeting. She knew they were here to discuss making alternative arrangements for Sofia. It was either do what the school wanted or face having to find her another one but Callie would still politely hear them out.

"I was hoping you'd say that." The woman cleared her throat. "As you know, Sofia has been acting out and putting herself at risk. On more than one occasion she's left school grounds and it's just getting too dangerous."

Callie nodded trying to keep her emotions in check.

"We have a sister school just three hours away in Virginia. They're more than equipped to handle special cases and Sofia would have around the clock supervision. Weekends are open to family and visitors and with permission you'd be able to take her off grounds for home visits once you've been cleared." The Dean pulled out brochures and pushed them toward the brunette.

"I have to have permission to take my daughter home?" Just the thought had Callie's blood boiling.

"It's for safety Dr. Torres. The kids there need consistency and structure; they're-"

"Special, I know." Callie swallowed the anger before opening her mouth again. "I'm not sending my daughter to an institution. She doesn't verbally talk but she communicates just find. She's just bored and inquisitive, that's all." Callie argued.

"It's more than that, Dr. Torres. She wanders off all the time. She can't be handled here anymore." The Dean was trying to remain calm for the sake of the mother. She knew this was a hard thing for parents to even consider and it was past considering for Sofia's mother, Dr. Torres needed to do it.

"I'll find another school that can." Callie snapped.

"With all due respect, Dr. Torres, you're a single mother, you can't do this alone and there's no shame in that. It's nothing against you; children like Sofia just need extra attention. It's a fine school and she'll flourish there where she can't here." The Dean explained. "It doesn't make you a failure; it's just too hard to do by yourself."

Arizona watched Callie and could see her close to her breaking point. This obviously wasn't the first time Callie had been through this and the blonde could tell she was this close to being pushed over the edge.

"With all due respect Ms.-"

"Walters. Mrs. Walters."

"Mrs. Walters, I understand you have your hands full here but Callie has been paying good money and it seems like you're the ones failing Sofia here. If Sofia needs more structure, we'll give it to her but we aren't giving up. Taking this child from her mother will only do more harm than good. If you can't handle your responsibilities here, than say so and we can be on our way." Arizona stood motioning for Callie to join her.

"Dr. Torres, you can't handle Sofia alone. Something bad could happen." The Dean stood with the women ignoring Arizona's outburst.

"She won't be alone, they'll have me." Arizona glared at the woman watching Callie's head whip around to look at her with shock. "They _have _me.

"And who might you be?" The Dean was obviously tired of unwanted Arizona's two cents.

"Dr. Arizona Robbins. I'm Sofia's other mother." Arizona spoke with confidence.

Callie was supposed to have the week off with her daughter; they were going to go to some museums and have some one on one time except now, she had to find Sofia another school and figure out what to do. She couldn't keep putting Jenny in the position to chase her daughter all over Washington, DC; if something happened to her on Jenny's watch, the woman would never forgive herself.

"At least she's letting her finish out the term." Arizona tried to make conversation in the car ride back to the apartment since Callie hadn't spoken a word since leaving the school.

"She's four and a half, so she gets two more weeks of playing with blocks. Woohoo." Callie replied sarcastically.

"It'll give us more time to figure things out." Arizona knew she was pushing but Callie needed to realize, she wasn't going anywhere now.

"There is no _us_ here. It's me and Sofia." Callie growled.

"You don't get to do this- this time. You don't get to make every decision for everyone. You-"

"_Go home, Arizona."_ Callie was furious. She was angry and lost and just didn't know what to do. Arizona was the easy target of her anger here and she knew she wasn't being fair.

"Excuse me?"

"Go home. Go back to Seattle and- and- and your nice, neat, clean, drama-free life. You-"

"NO Calliope." Arizona screamed out, interrupting her and almost causing an accident when Callie swerved into the next lane from the unexpected outburst.

"You never wanted this; you never wanted any of this, especially with a sick kid. Just leave." Callie didn't want her to go but she didn't want her to stay either. What Callie wanted was five minutes of peace and quiet to figure things out. Callie hadn't been able to slow down to think once since Arizona had come barreling back into her life the night before. She just needed to think.

"No. No, you're right Callie. I didn't want this but then I did and you- you never gave me the chance. You took my chance away. You stole my dreams away. I- I thought my daughter was dead. I buried her and I mourned over her. You took her away once and I won't let you do it again. If you fight me, I'll get Mark out here and we'll both fight you. The woman that kidnapped her own child is not going to win."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I am so sorry for being MIA since the last update. Work has kept me away and so busy but I've returned with another update. I'll be more diligent in updating in the future, I really swear._

_Disclaimer: See previous chapters. It stays the same. Do not steal from Grey's Anatomy._

_My Story Beta is Sara. Thank you for volunteering to help me out. She betas my story but not the author's note so all those mistakes can be credited to me._

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><p>Arizona's threat was empty, but Callie didn't know that. Mark knew about Sofia already. It's not that he didn't want her or that he wasn't mad at the years of deception, but somewhere over the years, Mark had grown up and he understood. He abandoned a child once to save her and once he could think clearly, he saw Callie had done the opposite, but really just the same thing. They all had their reasons for doing what they did and though he was waiting for an explanation, an apology, something, he knew it had to be in Callie's time. He couldn't come barreling in and upset a child's life, so he'd wait. Even if that meant he'd never be her father, he'd wait. Arizona didn't feel the same way. She'd fallen in love with her unborn child and she had a second chance now. She wasn't going to take it lying down. She did that once; she should have gone after Callie. She could have found her easily enough, but for a few days with Callie's sudden departure, Arizona found relief. In those first few days, she also found the solitude she needed to make the decision all on her own and her decision was Callie; it was Callie and their baby. Once she made that decision, her bitterness toward Mark vanished just as Callie had.<p>

Callie said nothing else the rest of the drive home. Maybe Arizona was right. Maybe she wasn't, but Callie wasn't going to risk losing her daughter to find out. Not when she'd fought this long and hard already.

Silence seemed to consume them whenever they were stuck together. Where Callie was waiting for the fallout, Arizona was still trying to take everything in. The car ride remained tense and quiet for the remainder of the drive and when they got home, Callie disappeared into her office, leaving Arizona standing alone in the kitchen, unsure of where to go next.

Half an hour passed before Callie emerged from the office with a box of things in her hands. It had taken her all of ten minutes to pack everything away, but she used the remaining time to gather her thoughts in order. She knew Arizona was serious about fighting for Sofia if it came down to it and Callie wouldn't put her through that: her or Sofia. She was still in shock at the arrival of the other woman and they seemed to have silently agreed to some kind of peace treaty while they sorted things out, but Callie still suffered from the pain of the guilt from what she'd done to Arizona through all these years. She really believed what she was doing was the right thing. She was giving everybody back their lives. There had just been so much fighting between them and she selfishly couldn't do it anymore and selflessly couldn't put Arizona through it anymore either. Everyone's bitterness was spoiling everything and maybe she should have stayed and dealt with it, but when did they ever just deal with things? Now they'd have to deal with it, because it wasn't about them anymore.

"You can sleep in there. The sheets are clean. The bathroom is shared with Sofia's room as well. She never puts the toilet seat down at night, so be warned. If you fall in, that's your fault." Callie's voice, although clipped, no longer held the uncontrolled anger from the car ride.

"Thank you." Arizona wasn't sure what lay behind Callie's generosity, but she figured it was to keep an eye on her. She wasn't going to complain. It let her keep an eye on Callie, too.

"How long are you here?" With just a small suitcase, Callie could only hope it was for a short visit.

"Well Callie, I don't know. I took a sabbatical from the hospital and just kind of came." After finding out about Sofia, Arizona spent the night talking things through with Mark before boarding the first flight out the following morning.

"Great. Just great," Callie moaned before disappearing again, this time into her own room. A leave of absence held hope of a quick return whereas a sabbatical was an extended period of leave and drew on for months instead of just days or weeks.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Callie doing research on schools on her laptop while Arizona changed the television station what seemed every five minutes.

"Some things never change," Callie muttered under her breath.

"What?" Arizona muted the television; even an attitude from Callie was better than the silence.

"Some things never change." Callie motioned toward the television. "Even in the car, you always change the station halfway through the song."

"Daytime TV is atrocious. I'm bored." Arizona whined, smiling when Callie smiled, too.

"Okay. Really, some things are never going to change. Whining is not magically going to make daytime programming any less mind numbing." Callie laughed.

"What are you doing?" Arizona moved from the oversized chair to sit next to Callie on the couch. There was a big chance that wasn't going to go over well, but she couldn't watch another ten seconds of a soap opera to save her life.

"Schools. The websites are all so inviting. I have to dig deeper to find out just how much of what they say isn't true and it's tedious."

"Grab a pad and pen." Arizona plucked the laptop off of Callie's lap and onto her own, releasing the breath she was holding when Callie did just that instead of argued. "Let's make a list of what we want and what we're not interested in having. Once we have that, we can eliminate certain schools before we do research on them and waste time."

Even though Callie had done this before, many times, Arizona's way was an easier approach, although she'd never admit that out loud. It would save time and probably a lot of stress in the process. "Catholic schools are off limits." Callie started drawing out a table to fill up as they went along.

"We agree on that then." Arizona shut the laptop lid while they went back and forth, discussing the finer aspects of Sofia's future education.

"Explain something for me, if you can. I'm not accusing you of bad parenting so please just pretend for a little while we have no bad history between us. I'm asking because I don't understand. Okay?" Arizona put her hand over Callie's when the brunette started doodling out of nervousness.

"Explain her wandering to me or what causes her to wander."

"I don't know. If I knew, I'd stop it, but Sofia just decides on her own to take off. Sometimes it's boredom, but sometimes I don't know. It's like she's testing us sometimes. She doesn't have any place she prefers to go. She just goes for walks like she's contemplating the creation of the world or something. She never tells me why and she is always sorry, but I can't stop her." Callie sounded stressed. She couldn't fix it if she didn't know why and she didn't know why. Sofia scared her; too many times, she was too close to losing her daughter.

"Can we discuss proofing the apartment a little better? Maybe an outsider's point of view might be just what you need for home matters." Arizona had ideas, but without stepping on Callie's feet and making her feel useless or any number of things, she had to be invited. Her opinion had to be invited. This was a weird situation before Sofia's problems came into play and Arizona needed to watch where she stepped in order to avoid something that could come between her and her daughter, that something being Callie.

"Before you begin, let me explain why it's not Fort Knox in here. I had higher locks, but she just climbs to unlock them. I can't do inside keys and keep it on me because what if, God forbid, there was a fire and I was unconscious? My daughter would die because she couldn't get out. And they're illegal around here anyway. I've had enough visits from Child Protective Services; I don't need them to have an actual reason to take her away. Usually it's a warning about keeping her inside, but if they thought her life was in danger in here, too, I'd lose her." Callie's swallowed hard trying to keep the tears at the memories at bay.

"An alarm system." Arizona squeezed Callie's hand in a comforting gesture before putting her own back in her lap.

"An alarm system? We live in an apartment building. Break-ins are almost impossible here." Callie was confused.

"No, not an alarm system like that, but those systems that you can buy at any electronics store. It screams when the door or window opens and notifies the whole house that somebody is coming or leaving. We can affix it to the top of the door, with cement if necessary. Do it to the babysitter's apartment, too. At least we'd be able to keep her from wandering off when she's at home, even if the school can't there." She explained.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Callie felt like an idiot and a moron.

"Because you're in the middle of it; it's not so clear for you. It doesn't make you a bad mom, Callie."

Callie kept waiting for the anger, the yelling; for Arizona to point out everything she's done wrong and everything that goes with that, but every time she gave Arizona an opening, the blonde instead was patient and kind.

* * *

><p>"Well, my little one, it's time to get yourself ready for bed!" Callie finished up the dishes as Arizona and Sofia played a rather silent game of tic-tac-toe at the table.<p>

Sofia looked up, horrified at her mother before going off on a rant with pleading eyes.

"You have school tomorrow so that means sleep now." Callie felt so guilty watching her daughter beg to stay up later almost near tears at the implication she had to go to school the next day when it was supposed to be their vacation together.

"I know I said we could go to the museums, Sof, but we'll have to do it on a weekend. You have to go to school so Mommy can do adult things. I'm sorry." When the tears started down the young girl's cheeks, Callie almost broke herself. She never had any time with her daughter, or really, what she felt like was enough time; this broke her heart.

"Ya know what, kiddo?" Arizona looked from Callie to her daughter. "Adult stuff can wait a day. Tomorrow we'll go to a museum, but you should probably go to bed now so you can be all rested for our big day."

"Arizona." Callie wasn't thrilled with this.

Sighing, she looked at her daughter signing happily at Arizona. "She wants to know if you are serious because when you don't do what Mommy says, you have to go to your room." Callie tried not to laugh at her daughter.

"I'm serious. I'll take care of Mommy. Go get ready, and she'll be right in, okay?" Arizona wiped the wet tears on Sofia's cheeks. It was a beautiful moment for her even if Callie was standing ten feet away fuming.

Sofia nodded eagerly before quickly disappearing into her room; the look on her Mommy's face said that she was angry at the blonde and the young girl knew better than to stick around for her Mommy yelling. Her Mommy yelling was not fun.

"Arizona, I didn't appreciate that. I need to find different arrangements before I go back to work. Not all of us get a sabbatical." Callie returned to the living room after tucking her daughter into bed.

"This is where I could easily point out that if you had stayed in Seattle, you'd have the time under your belt to do such a thing, but I won't. What I will point out is that one day isn't going to make a difference to us, but to Sofia missing out on your promise will." Callie knew the jabs wouldn't stop until they had it out, so she refused to argue that point in a lame and chicken attempt to keep from fighting.

"Most of the schools around here won't take her, Arizona. She's either not special needs enough or too much work." Daycare wasn't an option for them; Sofia needed to be enrolled somewhere structured with people trained to deal with her, somewhere safe.

"And we will, Callie. But you're stressed to the max and Sofia needs this time. I need this time. Tomorrow, we play and we'll figure it out, okay?" Arizona needed this as much as the other two and she wasn't ashamed to beg.

"Why are you being nice to me?" She couldn't take it; she could deal with the jabs, but Arizona being nice was too much.

"Well, because, Callie, I want to get to know my daughter and because you're stressed out and need a break, some fun. And because _really _soon I'm not going to be very nice to you and when I have my say, you're going to be able to hold your own and deal with what I say and not crumble." If Callie continued to lose it like their first night together, Arizona would continue to comfort her and ignore the elephant in the room in order to save the brunette any more grief. Doing that would only end up a dangerous set up for them. When they ignored the elephant in the room, bad things happened. People ran away: to Africa, to DC, and _nobody _was running away this time.

"Sofia wants to go to the bug exhibit at The Natural History Museum." Callie got the message and oddly agreed. They both had things to say and it would do neither of them any good if Callie broke down in a mess of tears.

"The bug exhibit, really?" Arizona scrunched up her nose. Bugs were not her thing.

"Most kids pull the legs off of them; instead, my daughter wants to make pets out of them." Callie laughed; she felt the same way about bugs as the blonde. Mark used to be their bug-killer, the only reason Arizona was ever grateful to have him around.

They both laughed until tears were streaming down their cheeks and it wasn't that funny, but they couldn't help it. Looking up to the couch, Callie took her chance. "Do you hate me?" She wouldn't blame Arizona if she did, but she needed to know just the same.

"I want to hate you. I just don't think I can anymore." She did. For a very long time, she did, but then she came here and she just couldn't. If she thought about it, she hated herself just as much as she hated Callie, but even that was a thing of the past.

"Why?"

"Because you followed through when life dealt you crap. You didn't give up and come running back, begging Mark and me for help. Instead, you're handling it; you're fighting for Sofia. You didn't throw away our daughter when everybody else told you that it was best. There's a lot for me to hate about you, but that? It doesn't make it right, but it shows me you aren't the heartless monster I've let you be for years now." Callie had been a lot of things, but it was more than clear a heartless monster she was not.

"How'd you find out about Sofia?" It wasn't her parents, because they were no longer in the picture and the few times she'd spoken to Addison over the years, Sofia had never been mentioned. Nobody from her past knew about her daughter, but Arizona found out anyway.

"I have an old colleague from Medical School who called me and asked me out here on a consult. He told me once his ortho surgeon got back from vacation with her daughter, he'd set up a meeting. He then proceeded to tell me how wonderful Dr. Torres was and how she was the best and that's why he was willing to wait for her. It didn't take much to put it together. I mean, how many Dr. Torres, ortho surgeons, can there really be in DC? Or the world even?" It had taken Arizona almost an hour to stop throwing things around her office after that phone call and another hour after that to remember to breathe after she did a little research on her computer. She'd never known rage before that moment and never wanted to know it again.

"The cancer's too advanced; they opted out of anymore surgeries. They wanted to spend their final time with their daughter together, out of a hospital." Callie knew the case and she knew a specialist was being flown in, but never in a million years had she ever expected that specialist to be Arizona or she would have never agreed. No, she would have agreed because this child's life was too precious to give up on her, but she would have been more prepared than coming down into the hospital lobby and finding an outraged blonde waiting for her.

"I know. He called me back shortly after and explained it was too late for them. But it's not for me, Calliope." It was the first time Arizona had referred to her by that name, but neither noticed, the emotions were running too high.

"My daughter isn't dead. I get a second chance and I'm not giving that up. I'm not giving that up, so you're going to have to deal with that and you and I are going to have to figure things out. Tomorrow we'll go have fun and we'll figure the rest out later." If her second chance included having Callie in her life for the rest of her life, she'd take it, because it also meant having her daughter. She didn't care about the rest.

"One day at a time." Callie laughed. "That's how I seem to live my life anyway."

"But one day, soon, we are going to deal with the rest. My daughter, our daughter just needs to come first right now." She wasn't letting Callie off the hook; she was just putting her priorities in order and Callie Torres was going to remain last on that list.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: _Commandment number 8: Thou shall not steal. Commandment number 11: Thou shall not steal or profit from using the characters from Grey's Anatomy show__

_Thank you to my beta, Sara for volunteering to beta for me and keeping me on track with updating in a timely manner. Thank you to my sunshine from a cloudy place that never, ever lets me down._

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><p>Arizona had completed fifteen plus hour surgeries, stayed awake working for days on end at the hospital, but by the end of the second hour at the museum, she was exhausted. The first hour had been spent at the bug exhibit. An hour of pure terror for both mothers, although neither would ever admit it to the small girl. Callie even held the hissing cockroach to the delight of her daughter, while Arizona stood a few feet away watching the tanned Latina turn a shade of pale even lighter than her own skin tone. They hit up the butterfly house, which was a new exhibit none of them had seen before. Not that Arizona would have gone to it anyway; even butterflies gave her the creeps. Their beauty was just a cover for what they really were: flying, creepy, crawly bugs. Whenever one got close, she'd squeal and jump out of the way, which was hard since the hot house was covered in the nasty creatures. Her fear had gotten so bad that Callie had stood directly behind her shooing away the butterflies to the best of her ability because Arizona refused to leave. She wanted to experience everything with her daughter even if it meant crawling out of her skin to do so.<p>

Where Arizona was a mess, Sofia was absolutely amazed. She searched desperately to identify each butterfly on the museum card and seemed to be having the time of her life. Every time a butterfly landed on her, she'd look up at the two adults with the look of sheer joy only a child could experience and for Arizona, that made it all worth it.

"Okay, Sofia. Arizona wants to go to the dinosaur exhibit. How about we give her a break and go look at bones?" Callie was so close to Arizona, she could feel the small tremors from her body. She'd spent a good five minutes rubbing Arizona's back and arms in an attempt to calm her before she realized it wasn't her place and completely inappropriate of her to do so. What Callie didn't realize was that the tremors weren't just out of fear of the winged creatures, but from the close proximity of the two women.

Walking toward the door, Sofia dropped to her knees, her little body shaking, which indicated to Callie that her daughter was crying.

"Sofia, what's wrong?" She knelt down next to the girl to see what the problem was.

"Oh, baby." Callie saw the dead butterfly by the door, an unfortunate victim of a less than aware rubber sole. It was bound to happen, a butterfly meeting its doom by squishing, but it broke her daughter's heart and she wasn't about to explain that it probably wasn't the first time and definitely won't be the last either.

"Here." Callie scooped up the dead butterfly and made her way over to where there was open soil. Digging a small hole, she gently placed the bug inside, and covered it up.

Arizona stood, watching the scene unfold before her. Callie really did the mother role beautifully. She didn't know many parents who would take a few moments to calm their children down by giving a dead butterfly a proper burial. In that moment, every reason Arizona ever had for falling in love with the brunette came back tenfold. It was obvious that Callie loved Sofia with everything she had and more of the years of bitterness just rolled off her back.

When Callie turned back around, her daughter was wrapped around Arizona's legs as the blonde tried calming her down. That was her job and for a moment, Callie was insanely jealous until she saw the look in Arizona's eyes. She was sincerely upset for Sofia. but even more upset over the years she'd lost the chance to do this for the young girl. Jealousy quickly faded to guilt; it was supposed to be Arizona's job, too, and Callie took that away from her. For a woman who she thought didn't want this job, this life, Arizona looked at this moment as if this was the only life she ever wanted. Brushing the soil from her hands, Callie knelt back down to her daughter's height. "How about we stop and get some ice cream and then go show Arizona how much you know about dinosaurs? If you want, Mommy will even sing your favorite dinosaur song for you to cheer you up."

Sofia nodded, wiping her tears onto Arizona's pant legs when Callie stood back up. Grabbing the blonde's hand in her own, Callie watched the two most important people ever to come into her life leave together. That scared her just as much as it warmed her heart.

* * *

><p>"Again," Arizona mimicked her daughter and laughed as she watched her daughter sign what had turned into her favorite word since the dinosaur exhibit. The blonde had been picking up on words here and there, but the word again she now knew like the back of her hand.<p>

"I am a stegosaurus, a funny looking dinosaur. For on my back are many bony plates and on my tail are more. My front two legs are very, very short, my back two legs are long. My body's big, my head is very small. I'm put together wrong." Callie's voice was no longer sing-songy as it had been hours before and her hand movements were obviously tired as the other two made her sing the Stegosaurus Song for the millionth time. She'd do it another million times if it made the two of them smile like they were, but truth be told, she really hated that stupid song. "If you two are done making me look like a fool, I'm going to the bathroom. Do you have to go, Sof?"

The young girl shook her head and pulled Arizona toward the large elephant in the center of the museum's foyer.

"I'll be right back," Callie laughed at Arizona. Sofia knew every detail of that exhibit, just like the rest of the museum, but she'd make the blonde read it to her anyway and probably her mom when she returned, too.

This day had been just what she had needed, probably what they all had needed and Callie was glad Arizona had talked her into it. She knew this was the calm before the storm, but she'd take whatever she could get before the skies opened up and flooded her bubble, possibly drowning her in the process.

"She's wearing blue jeans and a purple shirt with a pink coat vest. White shoes. She doesn't speak at all, so don't scare her. She was just here. I turned to see who was screaming, and when I turned back, she was just gone." Arizona was crying as she spoke to a security guard by the information desk. Even from this distance, Callie could see the panic in her eyes as she searched all around for Sofia.

Sighing, Callie took off for the other direction; she had a good idea where Sofia had gone and couldn't waste time calming Arizona down when somebody could snatch the young girl before Callie got to her. "Sofia Torres, you get your little behind down here right now." Callie watched her daughter slowly climbing the stairs toward where the bug exhibit was. There were a million places to hide, but she knew her daughter and Sofia would return to those stupid bugs in a heartbeat if given the chance.

"You scared the daylights out of your mama. You can't do that to her. Do you understand?" Callie scolded the little girl when she started back down the steps.

Sofia stopped and looked at her mom as if she had two heads before apologizing for scaring her. It was then that Callie realized what she had said, never more than glad that it was just the two of them than in that moment.

"Come on. We're going home now!" She picked up her daughter onto her hip and went to find Arizona before the blonde had a heart attack.

"Callie, I can't find- - -oh my God, Sofia." Arizona pulled the girl off her mom's hip and into her arms, peppering her face with kisses in relief.

"She was on her way to the bug exhibit," Callie explained.

"I'm so sorry. I just turned around for a second, and she was gone." Having her daughter in her arms again did not stop the tears from falling. She was terrified. Terrified because she lost Sofia and terrified something bad could have happened to her.

"It's not your fault. Really, Arizona." Callie looked from the blonde to the brunette in her arms. "Sofia Robbin, you need to apologize; you know that what you did was wrong."

Arizona ignored the use of Sofia's middle name; it wasn't something she could focus on in this moment. In all honesty, it made her extremely angry, even if she didn't know why, but she had no room for anger when, instead of signing her apologies to the blonde, Sofia wrapped her arms around Arizona's neck and squeezed tight. Her teachers just yelled when she wandered off, her babysitter panicked and became jumpy, Mommy punished her and then often cried, but Arizona was sobbing because she'd taken off. She never ever meant to make her so upset and she was so sorry.

"Let's go home. We're going to skip the metro and instead grab a cab; I think we're done giving this one the chance to put us in early graves today." Callie tried to tease to lighten the mood as Arizona put Sofia down and held tight to the little girl's hand. It was clear the mood of the day was ruined and everybody could use some time to unwind.

* * *

><p>Dinner was eerily quiet. The day wasn't ruined; it just ended on a bad note that bled into the evening. Sofia was exhausted after her long day and made no objections to an early bedtime. Her only request was that Arizona come and tuck her in and the blonde eagerly jumped at the chance. It was only her third night here, but she'd already missed out on four and a half years of bedtime stories and goodnight kisses. If Callie was willing to give up one night for her, she wasn't going to argue. Her intention was to not to push either, because she was trying to find a common ground with Callie no matter how long it took. Just like she had to learn to trust the brunette, Callie had to learn to trust her, too, and that didn't come with fighting her tooth and nail on every single part of Sofia's life. It was going to be a lot of compromise, understanding, and patience, something Arizona had a lot in storage of all three.<p>

When Arizona finally returned from Sofia's room, she found Callie had gone to shower in her own bathroom, giving Arizona a little time to reflect. Since Sofia's disappearing act, Arizona had been on edge, just waiting for Callie to tear into her about losing their daughter. She would have gone crazy had their roles been reversed, but Callie had remained calm and kept assuring her that it wasn't her fault. It felt like her fault.

"What are you doing?" Callie sat down across from her while she sat on the couch with her own laptop in her lap. Callie was wearing short, black shorts, a tight tank top, with her wet hair tumbling down over her shoulders and for a few seconds, Arizona couldn't form words. It was a nice feeling that Callie felt comfortable enough with Arizona to display her body in such revealing nightclothes, but she wished Callie wouldn't. When you had legs that went on for miles as Callie did, tucking them under you while you sat did nothing to hide the toned smooth muscles from Arizona's eyesight. The years had been generous to her ex's body and although Callie might have been oblivious to that fact, Arizona was not.

"I'm, um," Arizona paused trying to collect her thoughts now that Callie had wiped her mind clean. "I'm on some of the pediatric boards researching Sofia's symptoms. I have more information at my disposal being _in _pediatrics and maybe I can find something you don't know or the specialists overlooked." After what happened at the museum, Arizona never wanted to go through that again. If she could find a reason behind her daughter's behaviors, something, anything, maybe they'd never have to worry about Sofia every second of every day like Callie was currently doing. Maybe they could put their daughter to bed and know she was going to stay there or go out in public and not have to scour the crowds for any possible predator who would harm their daughter if she wandered away.

"Jesus Arizona. She's not a patient for you to diagnose or a disease for you to cure." Callie hissed and quickly got up to shut Sofia's door completely before she finished.

"She's your daughter, for Christ's sake. She's your daughter and either accept that or- - -or leave, because I won't let our daughter think something's wrong with her when there's not. The rest of the world is going to tell her she's different, but here, in her own home, we're not. To us, she's perfect, and I won't let her think otherwise." Callie was pacing and her voice was now far from quiet. "So if you want to do something, love her for her. Let the doctors figure things out on their end because here, you aren't a doctor. You're a mother."

Arizona had been waiting for Callie to yell at her, but this was not what she was expecting or the reason behind it. Callie yelling at her to be a better mother was far from the you lost _my _daughter fight she thought was going to explode from the brunette. Callie acknowledging Sofia was hers, even in anger, was the single second most breathtaking thing she'd ever heard, the first being Sofia's heartbeat. And Callie was right; Arizona hadn't thought about it that way. She was Sofia's mother and her daughter was never going to have to worry about being loved as long as she was around. She never had to worry about being loved before Arizona came into the picture, Callie had made sure of that, but now she had two parents who would do anything for her. Arizona would do _anything _for her.

"You're right and I'm sorry, Callie."

"Seriously Arizona, you-I'm what?" Callie stopped pacing to face Arizona. The words 'you're right' had _never _graced the blonde's lips in all the years Callie had known her.

"You're right, Callie. I'm sorry. Today scared me, a lot. I thought, I don't even know what I thought. When she wasn't next to me anymore, my world stopped spinning. I've only been that scared one other time before in my life and my worst nightmare came true then. I can't lose Sofia again; I am just scared. I wake up in cold sweats thinking I'm going to wake up from this dream and walk back into our old apartment again and you- - -you're going to be gone and I won't find you this time. I'm scared. I'm scared you're going to wake up and decide I don't have any rights here and kick me out on my ass." She wasn't sure why she was being so honest, but it was all the truth. She was literally walking on eggshells around Callie and after almost losing Sofia today, she couldn't do it anymore.

"I'm sorry I yelled." Callie sat back down feeling like she'd been kicked in the gut. She wasn't blind to her actions, but when they were right in front of her face, it made it ten times worse to deal with them. They needed to deal with it soon, but she still wasn't ready.

"It's not your fault. I'm just scared."

"It is my fault. I'm not going to do that to you. Again. I promise. I really am sorry." She wasn't apologizing for yelling anymore and Arizona knew it, but after today, getting into that was too many emotions for one day for the blonde.

"How do I know you won't, Calliope? You left before. You just left." She sounded like a child, a scared child.

"You don't and I've given you no reason to believe otherwise, so you're just going to have to trust me. I won't, Arizona." Callie knew trusting somebody who had betrayed you to that degree was almost impossible, but it was all she had to offer. When Arizona went back to her computer, switching from the internet to a card game, Callie found herself needing space, needing to give Arizona space.

"It's not all your fault, Callie." Arizona stopped her before she opened her bedroom door.

"I had promised Sofia we'd go to the zoo tomorrow before all of this...happened. It's going to be in the high sixties. I figured I'd pack a picnic lunch and maybe we could put things off another day. We don't get enough zoo weather around here with the extreme humidity and high temperatures that summer brings; might as well take advantage of it while we can. Is- - -is turkey breast fine for your sandwich? We also have ham." Callie stood fiddling with her door frame until Arizona looked up at her. They were both trying really hard here to make things somehow right. Baby steps.

"Turkey is fine. With mustard, please." Arizona got the underlying message and smiled.

"Do you still throw out the bread's crust? I know sandwiches aren't our thing, but it's easy picnic food for a 4 year old. I cut Sofia's off crust, so I can cut yours off, too."

"_Some things _don't change in five years, Callie." She didn't mean the crust.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Arizona." Callie closed the door quietly behind her, falling immediately into bed in a storm of silent tears.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: This will be my last update until Monday. Have a fun, safe weekend and enjoy the Grey's concert. :p_

_Disclaimer: _Not my characters from Grey's. I will never use them for financial gain.__

_Beta-d by Sara_

* * *

><p>At the end of the first week, Callie took another week of vacation time. Since Sofia, she'd never cashed in on sick days or vacations days, always banking them for Sofia's appointments or emergencies. So when she called work, the Chief of Surgery was thrilled to sign off on her request with no questions asked.<p>

Finding Sofia a new school got pushed aside as every day, Callie and Arizona found something else to do instead. There were museums to tour and parks explore and somewhere between the Julia Child's Kitchen Exhibit at the American History Museum and the swings at Sofia's favorite park, the idea of being apart from their daughter became too much to bear. They knew they were also using her as a buffer and eventually they'd need to confront their ghosts, but it wasn't a priority anymore.

Each morning, Arizona would disappear for a few hours, claiming she'd been running since her normal exercise regimen was out of whack, but she never returned sweaty and Callie never questioned it. Sofia and Arizona were bonding. Callie and Sofia were bonding. And somewhere in there, the two women were slowly finding the friendship they'd lost long before Callie ever left Seattle. Sofia never questioned Arizona's presence and Arizona never pushed Callie to explain. Callie was just waiting for one or the other of them to inquire before she had to say anything. They were stuck in a limbo of sorts and, except for the elephant standing in the corner of the room accepting what peanuts they had to offer, it was a good kind of limbo.

They'd also fallen into an easy nightly routine. Both women would put Sofia to bed, alternating who read the bedtime story and then they'd retire to the living room to do their own things. One would watch television while the other straightened up or did dinner dishes. Sometimes they'd both be on their computers doing nothing but giving their minds something else to do. And some nights, Callie would read while Arizona remotely checked on her patients via computer. During those times, Callie would often excuse herself to bed early because of the guilt eating her alive. She knew it killed Arizona to abandon the kids the way she did and that was just another slap in the face for Callie. Why couldn't she see this side of Arizona five years ago? She had really believed that she was doing the right thing in giving Arizona back her own dreams. There was no other way to let Arizona off the hook and let her keep her dignity and Callie had already put her through so much, she didn't want Arizona feeling guilty for walking away. She deserved better than to have to live with the guilt that wasn't her fault.

This was bill night. While Callie sat at the kitchen table, Arizona sat mindlessly watching television, neither of them speaking to the other until Callie had to feed the elephant a bit more.

"I have to go into work tomorrow. An old patient of mine came in with a fractured hip and he requested me for the surgery." This really couldn't wait to talk about and Callie wasn't sure what to expect as Arizona's response.

Not bothering to get up from the couch, Arizona muted the television instead. "Since when do you leave your vacation for a simple hip replacement? A fifth year could easily do that for you."

Closing her laptop, Callie went to join Arizona on the couch. "Since I stopped chasing the biggest and best surgeries. Every patient is equally important, whether I'm building hands or setting a break."

"I'm not trying to insult you, but that's very out of character for a surgeon who prides herself on being a rock star with a scalpel." Callie wasn't any more conceited than any other surgeon; she knew she was damn good at her job.

"Used to pride myself. Things change." Callie shrugged; they both understood that comment. "I've been the leg needing to be set with Sofia. We've had enough doctors turn us away because treating Sofia wasn't going to win them any awards. She's not an extreme case and they didn't see her as worth it." It always burned Callie when they were sent away because Sofia wasn't important enough. She was; to Callie, she was.

"What are you going to do with Sofia tomorrow? Is her babysitter available?" She so wanted to be mad at Callie still. She wanted to have a tantrum every time she realized everything she'd lost because of Callie, but the things the woman said and did made it so impossible for Arizona. If anything, they caused the exact opposite response to anger and that made her angry.

"Yes, she is, but I have someone else in mind to watch Sofia, Arizona."

"Who?" Arizona didn't think there were many babysitters who specialized in special needs kids and Callie hadn't talked about any besides the woman across the hall.

"Her mother."

Callie sat there in shock as her usually stoic ex-girlfriend burst into a storm of tears trying hard to babble through the mess. "No. You can't leave her with me. What if something happens? What if she gets sick and I don't know what's wrong? Or what if she chokes and I don't hear her, Callie? How am I supposed to talk with her? You can't-you can't leave Sofia with me."

Scooting closer, Callie rubbed Arizona's back until the tears died down, although it was obvious by looking at her cloudy blue eyes that her emotions were still bubbling close to the surface. "If she gets sick, take her temperature and she'll let you know what's wrong. She's four, so she'll point and cry, but she'll know no more about what's wrong with her than you will because she's four. She won't choke and if she does, you'll know, but she's four and can chew her food. If you get stuck, maybe you can use that book you're hiding under that magazine in your lap for help." Callie couldn't help but smile when Arizona's eyes grew wide.

"How'd you know?"

"I can hear you practicing in your bathroom mirror. I've been there, remember? At first, we all verbally speak as slowly as our hands are moving." Callie had heard Arizona every night; maybe it was creepy to stand outside the door, but it warmed her heart that the blonde was so eager to be everything Sofia needed her to be.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Arizona thought she was being stealthy, waiting until Callie went to bed but apparently not stealthy enough.

"Because every time I washed your running clothes and they didn't smell like sweat, I figured you just didn't want me to know. I'm not your wife, Arizona; you're entitled to your secrets, too." Too meant Callie had her own secrets, but she was just as bad at hiding them as Arizona was. She could see everything Callie didn't say when she looked in her eyes. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"Honestly?"

"No, Arizona. Lie to me."

"I-I don't know. It's stupid. _I'm _stupid. I spend three hours a day in private lessons and I still suck. _Really badly_. I don't suck at anything, Calliope. I suck at this." She felt like a failure and had no hope of ever getting it right.

"You aren't practicing at home. The mirror isn't Sofia. Let her know and she'll slow down. She's a smart kid, Arizona. They tested her and she's at the signing level of a seven year old. She is constantly helping me." Or correcting her, but Callie felt the word helping would be better suited for this situation.

"I'm still going to suck. I can't even talk with my own daughter." The idea of never being able to communicate with Sofia broke her heart.

"Arizona, you need patience. And you need practice with everyone you talk to right now, even if they have no idea what you're saying. I do it with my own patients _all _the time. I've been doing this longer and she still out signs me on a good day. It takes years." Callie signs to about eighty percent of the people with whom she converses during the day. Practice makes perfect and she wouldn't settle for anything less for her daughter.

"Do I have years?" Arizona never meant to lay the guilt on thick. It just happened. When she was unsure, the questioning tone of her voice broke Callie's heart.

"Stay with her tomorrow. Practice. Her sitter is across the hall if you need anything." Callie thought about how to answer Arizona's plea and figured a noncommittal answer was better than nothing. She didn't know what their future held; none of them did. "You _will _eventually catch up."

* * *

><p>She heard the laughter before she saw it but she knew immediately to whom it belonged even before she turned the corner. Even if it had been years since she'd heard it. It was almost music to her ears, the carefree sound of a happy Arizona. God, she had missed how the infections joy of the blonde could melt the stress of a bad day just as much as she missed being the cause of that intoxicating laughter.<p>

Turning the corner, Callie stopped to watch Sofia and Arizona racing down the hallway of the building. Arizona was holding back as Sofia glided past her. Both were so unbelievably happy as Arizona grabbed Sofia around the waist and swung her up into the air just seconds before she crashed into the wall. It was in that moment, the gliding and the racing and the almost crashing that Callie realized that laced to her daughter's feet were a brand spanking new pair of Heelies that matched the brand spanking new Heelies on the overgrown child with her daughter. Callie knew it was the sheer jealousy of not being included, of realizing in that moment she would forever be an outsider of what they shared and even if it was her own fault, that didn't stop the hurt from bubbling up from deep within.

"This is a hallway, where people walk, not race around screaming like hooligans." Callie barked her annoyance before disappearing behind the apartment door. Arizona and Sofia heard her slam the bedroom door all the way out in the hallway.

"No, honey. I'm in trouble; you did nothing wrong." Arizona's signing was so much slower and missing words and her slower speech that mirrored it made Sofia giggle in delight.

"Let's go inside. I have to talk to Mommy. Can you go play in your room?"

Arizona couldn't help but laugh when Sofia corrected her, although it made her feel foolish, too. "Okay, play in your room, not closet. Brat." Arizona teased. Brat she had picked up fast, not from her daughter, but from Callie instead. There were no honeys and babys, but Callie instead often called Arizona brat. Had it been used in any sense but lovingly, though Callie would deny it, Arizona would be insulted, but she found comfort in the juvenile pet name.

Finding Callie lying face down on her bed, Arizona climbed in next to her and waited until she looked up. "Wanna tell me what that outburst was about?"

"Nothing." Callie mumbled, trying to turn over except Arizona's hand shot out to keep them facing each other.

"We weren't screaming like hooligans, as you put it. We were breaking in our new shoes and having fun. Since when is that a crime against humanity?" Arizona knew that this wasn't Callie's usual bad surgery pouting; there was something else entirely behind this.

"It's an apartment building, not the Indy 500, Arizona." Callie snapped with more anger than she was really feeling.

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon, Callie, and nobody is home, so that's far from the issue. Would you rather us have gone outside where Sofia could have gotten hurt while she was practicing?"

"I'd rather you have asked me before you bought her those damned shoes," Callie whined.

"Why?" Arizona's smirk said she knew, but she wanted to hear it from Callie first.

"Because they're dangerous. I've been on you for years to stop wearing them," Callie snapped again when she caught Arizona's smile.

"Sofia knows they are strictly for play time, just like if they were roller skates. I'm not one of those irresponsible parents who would let her roll all over the mall or into people in stores." She knew this wasn't the problem, but she was insulted nonetheless.

"That's not my point, Arizona. I couldn't care less about what all the other parents do."

"Then what is it, Calliope? Enlighten me." It was a dare and they both knew it.

"Nevermind. Just-nevermind, Arizona."

"That's your problem, isn't it? Not the Heelies, but that I made a decision without you?"  
>Arizona waited for an argument from the brunette but when none came, she continued. "That kills you that I made a decision and you don't agree with it and you can't do anything about it."<p>

"I don't want my daughter breaking her neck on those stupid things." Callie's misplaced anger had her sitting up, back against the headboard and away from Arizona's touch.

"_Our _daughter. She was mine, too, from the moment you asked me to be part of your plan, so don't downplay my role now just because you tried to take it from me." Arizona was fuming mad. So what if it was a slip of the tongue? It was a cruel one and it burned.

"They're dangerous shoes." Callie tried to steer the conversation back, away from where it was inevitably going.

"What? And they're not part of your precious plan, so we should throw them away without a second thought? It doesn't matter how long they've been around, how much crap they went through for you? Just get rid of them like they never meant anything to you? Like they never matter?" And here was the truth of it all.

"Without a second thought? You think I _wanted _to go? That I wanted to leave everything I loved behind and be alone, do this alone? I was doing the right thing. When you got tired of reminding me every day how much we weren't your dream and followed through on making your own elsewhere, I wasn't going to be able just to watch you leave. And maybe you wouldn't have, but I wasn't going to make you stay and be unhappy either. You were unhappy, Arizona, and you never let me forget it."

"And bailing? That was the high road you took? It's okay for you to do that but me-oh God, no! How dare I make such a mistake?" They were yelling; Arizona was on the verge of screaming, but neither could stop it. It was too long in the making even to try.

"God, this isn't about Africa. This is about how every moment of our lives was consumed with anger and hurt. We fought _all _the time. You and Mark fought _all _the time." Callie wasn't going to cry; no matter how much this hurt, opening the can of worms, she wasn't going to shed tears.

"You never let me be angry; I jumped right in and never got to deal with it!" But Arizona couldn't stop the tears. For years, she'd shut down and tried not to feel, but it was not the case anymore. She was feeling just fine every single emotion she'd blocked for years.

"And I made a mistake and you never let me forget it." Callie's heart broke as tears streamed down Arizona's cheeks. She caused that. She did that. She was responsible for that.

"No, a mistake is wearing two different socks, Callie. A mistake is locking your keys in the car. Falling into bed with your best friend without being smart enough to even wear a condom for Christ's sake is _not _a mistake." Low blows had always been how they fought and five years didn't change that.

"Okay. I screwed up. I screwed us up big time. I know that. But my mistake was being selfish and asking you to stick around when I had no business doing that. You were right. I got my dream-for a little while. I got the love of my life, I got my baby, and I got my male best friend and for ten seconds, I was over the moon about it. And then my world came crashing down around me, Arizona." Callie stopped yelling; they weren't going to get anywhere and they weren't going to listen to each other between the screams and mean things. Taking a deep breath, Callie turned toward the blonde to explain. She had a lot of explaining to do. "You and Mark, you couldn't work together. You fought all the time. You ruined sonograms. You fought over things like who got to feel the baby kick first. Names. Breast-feeding or bottles. Procedures. Vaccines. I wasn't anywhere in those decisions. When you two remembered I was more than a human incubator, it was simply to get me on your side." Callie wiped at her own falling tears that she, too, could no longer hold back. "I was kidding about getting three votes, but in reality, I didn't even get one. I didn't have a voice. I lost my best friend. I-I lost my girlfriend. I couldn't do it anymore. You two were getting worse and meaner and I left. I lied because after Sofia was born, I was even more afraid of what would happen."

Arizona felt about five inches tall. She never stopped to think about what their constant arguing was doing to Callie. "We didn't realize we were doing that."

"I wasn't your dream, Arizona. You told me that more times than I could count." It wasn't Arizona's fault; it was Callie's for ever putting her in that position and the brunette felt strongly about that.

"I was mad at you. I gave up everything to come back for you and you had your dreams still. I was mad and jealous. I had to find my place in your dreams and I felt like Mark took my place while I was gone instead." She felt like an outsider more during those months than any other time in their relationship and Mark always had a way of pushing her to the edge.

"I know. I'm sorry." She was. "But you wouldn't even give me a chance to fix that."

Arizona knew Callie was right. She fought Callie on everything just to pay her girlfriend back for ever bringing Mark into their life. It wasn't right but it's how she coped. "Sofia's my daughter, too. You can't keep her from me. I didn't carry her or make her but she was born in my heart, too. She grew in my heart, Callie."

"I can't go back to Seattle, Arizona. I can't go back and face everybody and I can't just uproot Sofia's life here and throw her world into disarray. She's not a normal kid and I don't know what that would do to her. I can't risk that. Selfishly and selflessly, I can't do it." Callie knew what she was asking; she was asking Arizona to change her life all over again but this time it wasn't just about her. It was about Sofia. Sofia and then them.

"So we stay here. We stay here and figure things out as they happen. I can't go back to Seattle without you. If my family is here, there's nothing for in Seattle for me." Arizona never planned to go back but she wasn't sure how Callie would feel about that.

"What's next then?" Callie wasn't sure where honesty was going to get them except making the elephant go back to the circus.

"I'll look for a job. An apartment, too. Maybe one in the building if I can, to make things easier on Sofia. But I want to be her mother, too, and not just her mom's friend." Arizona wanted her piece of their daughter, every piece of their daughter.

"I'll talk to her tonight. I don't know what I'll say, but I'll talk to her." After almost two weeks, she should know what to say, but she still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell her daughter what she'd done. Sofia was four years old; would a truthful explanation at this point even matter?

"What about Mark? What does he want?" Callie's heart stopped beating in her chest; they hadn't talked about Mark, but Callie knew he had to know everything by now.

"He knows what's going on here; from the beginning, I've kept him in the loop. He doesn't want to disrupt her life any more than I already have. He's actually okay with being the cool uncle as long as he gets to see her. You have to talk to him, though. You know that, right?" Arizona and Mark and discussed this at length, a few times, and Mark just couldn't do that to his daughter. He knew one new parent was going to be enough and after watching Arizona mourn over the years for what they'd lost, he knew it was in Sofia's best interest to step back. He stepped back once, selfishly, and now he could do something right.

"I know." Callie was terrified to face her best friend. Ex-best friend. She'd disappointed so many people. She didn't mean to, but she still did.

"He's not mad at you, Calliope. Hurt, but not mad. He understands."

"Do you? Do you understand?" Talk about five inches tall, Callie felt two.

"No. I want to understand, but I'm still so mad at you and hurt. Mark lost his daughter and best friend, but I lost my daughter, my partner, and my future. I loved you with everything that I was and when you left, you broke my heart. Shattered it. Just-just give me some time. Every time I think I'm healed, you break my heart again. Just give me some time." She understood enough, but she wanted to understand it all. That would take time. They had time.

"Fair enough," Callie whispered through her tears. "Not that it changes anything, but I'm sorry. I didn't leave because I didn't love you." She'd always love Arizona; until the day she died, she'd love Arizona.

"I know." Arizona grabbed the box of tissues that Callie kept between her pillows as they both wiped away years of grief from their faces.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I hope everybody had a good weekend and Grey's benefit. Welcome to Monday. :p_

_Disclaimer: _Not my characters from Grey's. I will never use them for financial gain.__

_Beta-d by Sara_

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><p>Even being a brilliant four year old, Sofia's understanding of Arizona's role in her life was limited. What she got out of Callie's talk was that this person, Arizona, whom she already loved, loved her back unconditionally. The idea of two moms didn't faze her at all, but it was still new and she continued to use the sign for Arizona that she'd chosen when the woman came into her life instead of Mama which was how Callie would refer to Arizona nine times out of ten. Sofia didn't know why all of a sudden she had two parents and Callie had left out their backstory as it was too much for a child to understand and she was more than okay with that; Arizona was, too.<p>

Shortly after their fight, Callie returned to work full time, leaving Sofia and Arizona home together. Going back was extremely difficult and Callie knew eventually she would have to get Sofia enrolled somewhere at least to be able to keep up with her ASL studies, but she was also keenly aware that Arizona needed this time. Callie hoped it would do Sofia good as well. It wasn't often her daughter got to be a child, having been in special schools since the age of three that accommodated her needs and maybe in the time between parenting and bonding, Arizona could give Sofia what Callie, as a single mother, had been unable to do. If Callie could, she would have quit her job to be everything Sofia needed, but they needed the health insurance. Callie might have a very gracious trust fund to fall back on, but if she relied solely on that for financial support, they'd go broke sooner rather than later. The doctors and therapists and special needs schools were _very _expensive. She needed to work more than Sofia needed her home or they'd have no home. For a few weeks, while Arizona figured everything out, it wouldn't hurt Sofia to be out of school. It also gave Callie time to search for a school since she'd been putting it off this long already.

Just because it was Callie's idea for Arizona to put off her job search to spend time with Sofia didn't mean she wasn't still jealous except this time, although she'd never admit it, she was jealous of her daughter. Where Callie was jealous, Arizona was frustrated. They were still keeping each other at a safe arm's length and Arizona being Arizona always assumed the worst. She jumped to the conclusion that Callie had come to terms with her arrival and new role, but was only being gracious out of misplaced guilt. Some nights, after Sofia would go to bed, Callie, too, would disappear behind her bedroom door, leaving Arizona all alone after having nobody to talk to all day long but a four year old who still teased her about her signing ability.

When she couldn't take the sporadic silent treatments anymore, Arizona begged for a family night. Callie wanted to tell her they weren't a family and that they had to learn to separate themselves or fall into a trap that would undoubtedly hurt them all in the long run but she knew by saying just that, she'd hurt Arizona now. One movie night wasn't going to kill them and after the two week transition they'd been going through since Callie returned to work, it might be for the best. For everyone.

Movie night for Callie consisted of Mulan. Just Mulan and no other film. Sometimes Mulan played twice in one evening and it drove Callie bonkers. It wasn't even one of Disney's best films, but Sofia _loved _every second of the movie. Arizona shared in Callie's sentiments; she worked in Peds, which meant Disney movies consumed much of the sounds around the ward, which meant Arizona really detested the movies. She tried desperately to talk Sofia into the Muppets. Muppets Take Manhattan or Muppets from Outer Space, A Muppet Christmas Carol, or she'd even settle for Follow That Bird from Sesame Street if necessary, even if that movie still made her cry like a three year old when Big Bird ran away. But their daughter refused. It was Milan night.

Popcorn was popped; juices were poured because Callie refused to drink around her daughter. A signing, drunk Callie was a sight and not one she ever wanted to repeat, even if she'd been around adults and not her daughter when it happened. And the three girls sat cuddling on the couch with Sofia square in the middle. Even before I'll Make A Man Out Of You came blasting through the speakers, Callie and Arizona were out cold, leaving a bored Sofia between them. Figuring with her mommy asleep that she could practice the sword fighting scene along with Mulan, Sofia quietly climbed out from her mothers' hold and began dancing around the living room. On a bad day, she was as quiet as a mouse, but today she made even less noise because she couldn't risk Mommy catching her playing with the broom like a sword. Last time, she broke a lamp and spent the rest of the movie in her room being punished.

While Sofia was learning along with Mulan to become a man, Callie and Arizona had moved to get more comfortable in their sleep state on the couch. Without Sofia in the middle, the two women quickly found the warmth of the other, cuddling together deep in the cushions. Callie, with her back against the cushions, pulled Arizona in tight against her as they unconsciously stretched out on the empty couch together. Feeling Callie's arm around her waist, Arizona pulled it tighter against her body gathering comfort from being in her arms once again. They were out cold.

"Weeeeeeeeeeooooooooooouuuuuuu. Weeeeeeeeeeooooooooooouuuuuuu," shrieked through the air, startling both women out of their sleep stupor. Quickly realizing their positions, Callie pushed Arizona off the couch in an attempt to jump over the other side and take off after their daughter. Once the movie had ended, Sofia had become bored againm deciding to take an unsupervised walk. She didn't know that Arizona had put an alarm on the door earlier that week because she hadn't tried to escape. Every time they left or came home, they used a wireless key fob to turn it on and off and Sofia had been none the wiser about it.

Standing in shock at the front door as the alarm screamed, Arizona reached her daughter first as Callie had face planted when jumping over the back of the couch.

Slamming the door shut and turning off the alarm, Arizona immediately started yelling. "No, Sofia. NO! If you want to leave, you ask permission and one of us goes with you. You are NOT allowed to leave this house or anywhere else without permission and an adult with you. Do you understand me?" Arizona's signing might have been broken, but the intentions of her voice were still very clear. Grabbing her daughter by the hand, Callie watched as a very seriously mad blonde led their daughter into her room.

"You are four years old; you are not just allowed to wander off." Arizona grabbed Sofia's pajamas and stripped her daughter down before pulling the nightgown over her tiny head. "Go brush your teeth; it's bed time." Arizona was punishing her. It was barely just six in the evening and Sofia was being made to go to bed. Tears sprung to the little girl's eyes almost breaking Arizona's resolve, but she was too terrified to give in. Sofia had to understand that there were consequences to her actions and that Arizona wasn't just going to be her friend and let her get away with things.

Callie stood in the doorway, watching Arizona take charge. When Sofia looked up at her pleading with her to change her mind, Callie said nothing but pointed in the direction of her bathroom. This was Arizona's ball court and she wasn't about to interrupt. Callie would have done the same thing anyway, but Sofia needed to know both parents were going to support each other.

"I love you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you." Arizona pulled the covers up and tucked her little one in before kissing her forehead.

"No. No story tonight," Callie answered when her daughter reached for the book by her bed.

"We love you. We don't always like what you do, but we will always love you." Callie waited for Arizona to walk out before flipping off the bedroom light and leaving the bedroom door cracked.

"Do you want to put in something non-animated now?" Arizona collapsed back onto the couch expecting Callie to join her, but instead Callie took the oversized chair across from her. "How about-National Treasure?" She scanned the wall of DVDs across the room from her place on the couch.

"Yeah. That's fine." Callie's response was noncommittal. She was shaken and her heart still racing and none of it had to do with Sofia's almost Houdini act. The feelings of fear that Sofia's antics caused were nothing compared to those coursing through her system at the moment. This fear might have been just as paralyzing, but it caused a stabbing pain in her heart, too.

Not even ten minutes passed when Callie couldn't deal with it anymore. "You know what? I have some things I need to get done; enjoy your movie." She headed for her bedroom.

"What'd I do?" The air was thick between them and Arizona didn't know why. Callie was clearly angry, but she wouldn't tell Arizona what was wrong and that made Arizona worry that she was mad about the punishment. It was her place, even if Callie didn't agree; she was Sofia's mom, too, and she was allowed to scold and punish their daughter.

"Nothing, Arizona. I just have things to do." Callie turned around when Arizona paused the movie.

"On a Friday night? Just tell me what I did. I can't fix it if you don't tell me." Arizona was begging; she couldn't take the cold shoulder from the only person she knew in town. She was homesick and lonely and the one person that was supposed to make it better wouldn't open up to her and that was only putting a bigger wedge between them than was already there.

"It's not you, Arizona. It's me," Callie sighed. It was her, but how did she explain that waking up with Arizona in her arms brought back feelings she wasn't allowed to have, thoughts and dreams she was no longer entitled to have? She had to go clear her mind and bury those thoughts back down into the darkest corners of her body. Callie couldn't afford to feel those things and remain in control.

"Funny," Arizona laughed from nerves. "I've never gotten the break up line from somebody I wasn't dating."

"Enjoy your movie, okay? I'll see you in the morning." Callie disappeared behind her bedroom door leaving Arizona once again alone with nobody.

Arizona didn't know what was worse: the unintentional silent treatment from Callie or the voices in her own head screaming so loud in the wake of silence that she couldn't ignore them. She wanted to ignore them because she couldn't risk getting hurt again. There was too much at stake now.

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><p>Sharing a car wasn't an awful idea with public transportation available from almost anywhere in the city. Unless Callie got called in or was working late, Arizona and Sofia would drive her to work and pick her up unless she took the metro by her own doing. Mornings were spent with Arizona's sign language tutor and afternoons were free game to do almost anything; having the car at her disposal made things easier.<p>

Thursday nights, Callie explained, she spent with friends, if she had the chance and that she'd take a cab over after work if that was okay with Arizona. Usually Arizona would have asked to join as well, especially since Sofia was apparently welcomed but the use of _friends_made her weary. She was worried they'd take Callie's side and treat her like an outsider and she already felt like one enough. She didn't need a bunch of strangers to make her feel any worse. Refusing to let Callie take a cab home in the Seattle-like weather, Arizona convinced the brunette to let her at least pick her up.

"Hi. Is, uh, Calliope here?" Arizona stood outside of the apartment with Sofia. Callie said eight was fine. She'd get an hour with her friends and not completely put all the parenting responsibilities on Arizona for the night because it wasn't fair; she was Sofia's mother, not her babysitter.

"Calliope, huh?" The blonde at the door gave Arizona the once over before smiling warmly at Sofia.

"Behave, Liz! Callie got stuck in surgery; she's just on her way now." Another shorter blonde woman came rushing up to the door. "I'm Melissa and you've just met Liz. You're Arizona?"

"Yes, I'm Arizona. Sofia and I will just wait in the car for her then." Arizona turned to leave when Melissa's hand caught her shoulder.

"No, don't be silly. Come in."

"Sofia, Tommy's playing in his room." Liz knowingly sent the young child away leaving Arizona all alone.

"I'm Stacy. And please, sit down. We don't bite." A redhead motioned toward the couch when Arizona went to sit by the taller blonde.

"Liz does!" They all said at the same time, causing Arizona to sit on the far side of the couch away from the glaring woman. _This _is why she didn't want to come.

"So, um, how do you guys know Callie?" Arizona fidgeted nervously.

"Support group. My wife was hitting on her." Melissa sat between the two women.

"I was not! She looked sad and lonely and I was only being nice." Liz had been flirting with Callie, but she flirted with everybody.

"You so were." Melissa slapped her wife on the knee. "We're all parents of special needs kids." She elaborated when Arizona looked confused.

"Oh." That was not what Arizona was expecting. Callie didn't seek out support; she did things alone. It eased the guilt Arizona had been feeling since their fight, since realizing her role in everything was just as much her fault. It made her feel slightly better knowing that Callie hadn't been all alone all these years.

"My husband, Noah over there, and I have a little boy. He's hearing challenged. Completely adores Sofia. Callie, too." Stacy watched Arizona smile with pride.

"Twin preemies. Developmentally delayed. Sofia taught them how to sign." Melissa caught Arizona's smile as well.

"Developmentally delayed, my ass. Shows what doctors know." She cringed when she remembered Arizona's profession from talks with Callie. "Sorry, I didn't mean you. I mean, I don't know you, but Callie's smart. She wouldn't have been with a self righteous prick of a know it all doctor."

"No offense taken."

"So, you're _the_ex-girlfriend?" Stacy knew but it was grilling time anyway.

"Um, the one from Seattle, yes." It had been five years; Callie couldn't have possibly gone this long without a relationship. Callie didn't do alone; she was the relationship queen.

"No, you're the last one. Callie doesn't date," The shorter blonde explained.

"She's still hung up on you." Liz smirked when Arizona just rolled her eyes.

"Guys, this isn't our business." Noah loved his friends, but hated how they needed to get involved where they weren't invited.

"It is!" Liz sent him a glare from across the room. "You gonna hurt her again? Because we love Sofia and Callie and if you are going to hurt them, you should leave now, so we can do damage control before it's too late."

"She left me first," Arizona defended herself. She never had to worry about _wanting _to come with Callie; it was obvious she'd never be welcomed anyway.

"You don't just leave the person you love for no reason and since she's still obviously in love with you, I'd wager a bet it wasn't all her fault." Liz liked pushing buttons; when you pushed people's buttons, you saw their true side and that was the side you decided if you liked or not. Fake pleasantries wouldn't help her form an opinion; she didn't do fake pleasantries.

"What Liz is not so eloquently saying is that Sofia means everything to Callie. She's given up everything for her and everything she does is for her," Stacy interjected before Arizona felt like everybody was ganging up on her.

"I'm giving up my home, life, and job in Seattle to move here. I have nothing here but a little girl who needs me and a woman who can't stand to be in the same room with me half of the time. I have no friends here. No _support group_. Some days my _only _conversation is with a four year old who mocks me when I try to practice my signing. If I was going to leave, I would have already done it by now, because the loneliness is killing me. But I'm here and I'm staying because I love them and I've already lost too much time," Arizona snapped, having taken too much crap already.

"You're taking signing?" Melissa ignored Arizona's declaration, figuring it wasn't the time or place to point out what she said especially with her wife in rare form at the moment.

"Yes!" Arizona barked.

"Do you want a drink? Coke? Iced tea? Coffee?" Liz stood up, satisfied with Arizona's true colors. She liked the woman; she was feisty and would do Callie some good.

"Coffee would be nice." Arizona relaxed when Liz did, too. Apparently, she'd won round one, but she didn't doubt there'd be round two in the near future.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: _Not my characters from Grey's. I will never use them for financial gain.__

_Beta-d by Sara_

_A/N: Intimate relations are included in this chapter. There is a good chance the next installment will be delayed but I will do my best to not leave you hanging too long. Thank you again for all your lovely support. _

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><p>Since Arizona picked Callie up from her friends', things had become stressed between the two women. Callie was dealing with her own confusing feelings and Arizona had finally admitted to herself what she'd been denying all along. They seemed to pick fights with each other about the most mundane things that never had to do with them, but had <em>everything <em>to do with them.

"Who put the milk in the door? You never put milk in the door; it stays fresher longer if it's on the shelf," Callie huffed as she held open the refrigerator door, refusing to move the milk back to its rightful place herself.

"I did. There was no room on the shelf because Sofia and I ordered pizza and it was the only place for the pizza box to go." Arizona marched over to where Callie was to do it since it was obvious the brunette wouldn't.

"Why didn't you just put the leftovers in a zip-lock bag?" At least fighting they were still talking _at_ each other, even if they weren't talking _to_each other.

"Maybe I would have if I knew where they were. Your style of organization ranks right up there with how you fold laundry," Arizona snapped.

"I don't see you going out of your way to do laundry. You're home all day; I work and I still come home and do the laundry." It really didn't bother her, but it was something else to argue with Arizona.

"I don't do anything then, huh? Because your apartment has never looked cleaner. Our daughter is still getting lessons even being out of school. And you always have dinner on the table even when you're five hours late for it." And Arizona loved every second of it. She might only be a temporary stay at home mom, but she was eating up every moment of it.

"Nobody asked you to cook and clean," Callie yelled.

"You just told me to do the laundry; if that's not cleaning, what is it, Callie?"

"Mommy."

"One second, Sofia." Callie brushed her daughter off. "It's nothing. Don't do laundry. I'm not asking you to do laundry!"

"Mama? Can I have ice cream?"

"No Sofia. It's almost dinner-"

"Wait. Wait, Arizona. What did you just say?" Callie put her hand over Arizona's mouth and turned toward her daughter. She couldn't breathe and she was pretty sure her heart wasn't beating anymore either.

"Did she just say-?" Arizona pried Callie's hand from her mouth in shock.

"She called you Mama. _She called you Mama, Arizona. Oh My God, she talked!_" Callie scooped up their daughter into her arms and grabbed Arizona, hugging them both as the women cried. Sofia had no clue what she'd done, but they weren't yelling anymore and they were crying, but they didn't look sad.

"We can have ice cream. We'll have ice cream for dinner." Arizona held tight to Callie and her daughter; she didn't ever want to let go.

Dinner was dessert and it was the most amazing night ever for the two women and for another two hours afterward, Sofia soaked up the constant attention until she passed out in the middle of a game of Chutes and Ladders needing to be carried to bed and leaving her moms alone to absorb the day's events. Callie was washing the dishes and Arizona was drying. It was comfortably domestic, but neither were questioning it. There was too much else going on, too much good to bring a grey cloud over them now.

"I know this doesn't change anything, but the doctors, they all told me she'd never talk. Never." Callie was ecstatic.

"What doesn't this change, Calliope?" Arizona wasn't really sure she was following Callie.

"The autism. It doesn't change the autism diagnosis, but now she talks. She talks!" Her voice sounded as if years of stress had been lifted.

"How come when I arrived, you refused to acknowledge it? You were adamantly against the diagnosis, actually." She didn't want to bring a damper to their moods, but this was the first time in weeks Callie had actually acknowledged what Arizona already knew. She knew from spending any time with her daughter that she had some form of autism. It never mattered to her, but she wondered why it mattered to Callie at all.

"Because you never wanted a sick kid, Arizona, and the world sees this as sick. She's not. I know she's not, but I was afraid if you knew, it would put you on the first plane back to Seattle." She wasn't ashamed of her daughter, not one bit. She was scared of what everything would mean; she still was.

"You sure didn't act like you wanted me here." She didn't mean to sound accusatory, but she knew it was coming across that way anyway.

"I was scared. I didn't think I'd ever see you again and then I was scared you and Mark would try to take her away, but more I was just-scared of what you'd see."

"Did you really think I'd run away because Sofia has autism?" She understood what Callie was thinking and it hurt her pride that somebody she loved so much thought so little of her.

"Yes. No. Maybe," Callie sighed. "It's not easy, Arizona. It's not an easy life and Sofia's not an easy kid. But I wouldn't trade it or her for anything. I love her. Every part of her. When I look at her, I don't see imperfection like the rest of society. She doesn't need to be handled or cured. What she needs is a parent willing to go the extra mile for her and I am, but I was scared. I was scared you'd blame me."

Arizona didn't want to upset Callie any more than she might have. This was a time to celebrate, not dissect what was and what could have been. "But she talks now, so that's one less worry." And she got that her ex's fears were rational and Arizona saw that. Once upon a time, she'd made ill-thought out remarks, commenting on sick children and specifically her own. She was younger then, and the idea of children was a foreign concept. She never saw herself with them, but now she couldn't see herself without them.

"She wouldn't stop talking. All through dinner. I never thought we'd ever hear her voice. We heard her _voice_, Arizona." Callie handed the blonde the last dish and pulled the stopper from the drain before turning around to lean against the sink. Her face was glowing with sheer joy, a joy Arizona hadn't seen in a very long time. Since before Callie left; probably since their first sonogram.

"I feel like we should celebrate. One of us should go get a bottle of champagne or-or-we should throw a party. Or we should-" Callie's glee was cut short as two hands grabbed her face before soft lips covered her own.

They melted into each other. The feel of the spark the touch of their lips sent coursing through their bodies was enough to ignite a California forest fire. Shaky hands gripped onto Arizona's hips as her own hands tangled in Callie's messy mane of hair, pulling her inevitably closer until their bodies were meshed together as one. The searing heat that poured out of their physical connection hadn't waned over the years and, if anything, was even stronger. They could try to fool themselves into believing it was purely physical except they both knew the truth.

Pulling back slightly, Arizona could feel Callie's heart racing. Or maybe it was her own. Either way, she didn't want to let go. "Or you could stop talking so we can celebrate." Arizona waited for Callie to open her eyes before getting her answer staring back at her from the beautiful brown eyes. Letting go of Callie's face, she grabbed her hand and led them into the master bedroom to celebrate.

There was that voice in the back of Arizona's mind telling her this was a bad idea. Callie's head was telling her that, too, but their hearts weren't listening. Maybe the kiss started out being about Sofia, but this wasn't about their daughter any longer. This was about them.

Slowly they worked each others' shirts off, bras following suit, as their mouths explored each other again. When Callie's mouth found Arizona's pulse point, the blonde hissed in sheer pleasure before leaning into lick and bite the brunette's ear lobe. When Callie moaned, pinching the nipples her fingers had just found, Arizona gasped, pulling Callie in closer. She needed to feel skin against skin, to re-mark the body that had once been hers.

"More," Callie moaned, reaching for the button of Arizona's jeans and dragging them down until she could step out of them. Trailing her fingers over the pale skinned muscles on her journey back up, she watched them contract under her touch. For the first time in years, Callie felt completely at home.

The look in Arizona's eyes said she wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer and while Callie struggled to free herself from her pants, Arizona shed her panties and climbed onto the bed.

Callie didn't get far following Arizona when she was flipped over in the middle of the bed with the blonde straddling her hips. The heat from Arizona's core and the wetness spreading across her stomach was the best feeling in the world and one she never thought she'd ever know again.

They stayed in place, staring at each other, waiting to be woken up from the dream. Words weren't necessary; they each knew what the other was thinking; they always had. Leaning down to capture Callie's mouth again, Arizona scooted her body down until their most intimate parts connected. Their moans rang out in unison as pleasure coursed through their bodies.

Releasing Callie's lips, Arizona laced her fingers through Callie's, putting them above the brunette's head. If they were only going to get through one round before they both realized what a terrible idea this was, it was going to be perfect. Staring into brown eyes, Arizona rolled her hips, both women crying out again at the immeasurable amounts of pleasure such little movement could cause. Never losing eye contact, both women began slowly moving in unison against each other. Speed wasn't an issue. The need to climax was just an afterthought. This was about reconnecting on a level they only dreamed about finding again.

Each time their bodies connected, cries echoed throughout the room. They were shaking under each other's touch. Tremors spreading through their bodies as they picked up the pace of their hips.

Arizona crested and crashed first; her jerky movements from the molten lava flowing through her body caused Callie to follow soon thereafter. Collapsing onto Callie's sweaty body below, Arizona took liberties with basking in the afterglow. The brunette's breathing was still unsteady and labored and Arizona held on tight, just waiting for Callie to put a stop to it. When Callie's hands moved, Arizona's first thought was she was about to be shoved off, but instead hands tangled in her golden locks pulling her up until Callie's lips were attached once again to her own. Bad idea or not, neither one of them was about to stop.

An hour went by with touching and roaming hands, reacquainting bodies and hearts. They spent an hour making love without ever venturing south for more. It wasn't about the end result, but the pleasure they were bringing to each other. It wasn't about anything but the need to feel everything the other had to offer.

Arizona began peppering kisses down Callie's body when she sat up in a panic. "No, Arizona. Don't."

"You don't want this?" Arizona stopped, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"No, I uh, I'm not very groomed down there. I wasn't, I didn't think, this wasn't planned. I never-," She stammered through her embarrassment. She wasn't intimate with anybody; sure she stayed groomed enough for her, but that was it. She never expected anything more with Arizona, ever, and it was obvious by her nether regions.

"Don't worry about it." Arizona pushed the brunette back down before getting back on track. If Callie lacked extra grooming, it only meant that this wasn't just about the sex for her. Arizona was okay with that; if she wasn't prepared for this, it meant Callie intentions all along had been nothing but honorable. She never planned to take advantage of their situation and in turn, she never planned to take advantage of Arizona.

"What if we wake up tomorrow and this was all just a dream?" Callie didn't mean just Sofia's voice and when Arizona heard the trepidation in her lover's voice, she sat up from Callie's arms, pulling her with her.

"Then we put on a happy face and go on with life. I keep at those blasted ASL classes even though I suck. We love Sofia no differently or less. And we work on coaxing her out of her shell again. Day by day, Callie. You told me that when I got here." Arizona pulled Callie's bare waist toward her until the brunette was straddling her hips where they sat.

"And this?" She wrapped her arms around Arizona's neck, toying with the loose strands of hair at her neck.

"I'm pretty sure this is how all parents celebrate milestones in their children's lives. Why do you think there are so many Duggars?" Arizona leaned in, nipping at Callie's shoulder.

"They're not normal, Arizona. And neither are we." They both really played the switching role of avoidance well. It was apparently Arizona's turn.

"Why? Because we're two women?" Arizona knew this wasn't what Callie meant, but she was afraid of what _this _meant.

"We're not even together. We got caught up in the excitement of the day." Callie wanted it to be more, but she was too afraid it was nothing more for Arizona, so she'd lie about it. She'd lie, because it was easier than getting her heart broken.

Arizona pulled back to look in Callie's eyes; it was truth time. She could hear how scared Callie was, how much hope was in her words. "No, I didn't. If that were the case, it would have stopped with a kiss and maybe picked up again after a bottle of champagne, but neither of us needed liquid courage. We didn't need to drown our inhibitions. We _both_ wanted this, wanted each other, _want_ _each other_. Are you going to tell me I was wrong in what I felt from you?" Arizona challenged. She had to be honest to coax the truth out of her lover. They were both scared here and trying desperately to protect themselves, but it was too late for that. They'd shared their hearts with the other, opened themselves up to heartbreak, trusting the other not to do it.

"No. You're not wrong," Callie sighed. "But this can't happen if we're both not all in. We can't just date to figure it out as we go along. You need to be able to trust me one hundred percent. And forgive me for everything I stole from you. And you need to be sure. Ten months from now, I don't want any bitterness ruining what could have been a real chance at a friendship between us because we rushed into a relationship again without using our heads. Sofia needs her moms to get along. We both have to be sure." She hated being reasonable. She hated being the voice of reason, but Sofia was her world and she couldn't risk it coming crashing down on the little girl. Callie was still in love with Arizona, but love wouldn't be enough; it wasn't the last time. They needed everything to fall into place.

"It's a lot to think about, I know. I'll give you the time and space you need." Callie leaned down and kissed Arizona with all the emotion she had boiling under her skin before she climbed off, reaching under her pillow for the oversized tee shirt she wore as pajamas and pulling it over her head.

"Callie?" Arizona hadn't moved an inch.

"Huh?" Curling down into her sheets, she was trying hard to be brave. It was late and Sofia wasn't one to ever sleep in; never in their history did Sofia waste a minute of time when she had Callie home for the weekend and the brunette needed to fade into sleep for so many reasons.

"Do you still love me?" Words; she needed the words.

"I never stopped. I was never going to be able to stop." Callie felt the tight squeeze on her heart let up some. "I know you think what I did was wrong and selfish and some of it was, but if I had to do it over again, I would still let you go so you had a real chance to be happy."

"Can I stay here tonight?" It wasn't an answer or a promise; it was a need. Both of them needed it.

"Please." Callie leaned over and reached for a spare shirt from her drawer, throwing it at Arizona before she settled down on her back into the sheets. When Arizona was done putting the shirt on, she joined Callie lying down, her arm resting over Callie's midsection, her fingers squeezing tight to the fabric of the t-shirt.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: _Not my characters from Grey's. I will never use them for financial gain.__

_A/N: I know I said I would be lagging in updates and I still might be a bit after this one however, the last chapter went over so well and my beta worked extra hard to get this chapter ready so instead of waiting to post it, I wanted to get it up for you guys. You've been amazing and patient and I'm so excited with this story that I needed to continue sharing. Beta-d by Sara my super awesome Beta that talked out a new epilogue with me (we're not there yet) and then convinced me I can write a sequel to this story of which I'm currently working on. I'm so excited; I really have enjoyed writing this and meeting everybody through this story. You all are amazing and supportive readers and I thank you for all the kind words you've given me along the way. I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Have a good Thursday. I know I usually get on responding to reviews but also give me a bit of time to do that from the last chapter and this one. I really try to finish that before I post a new one but like I said above, I wanted to get this out. I didn't forget everybody who took the time to review and I'll be PMing you soon. _

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><p>Things weren't exactly great in the Torres household now that Sofia had decided to voice her opinions on everything. It made things much easier to argue with Arizona now that the blonde could keep up and often times what used to be quiet nights were filled with the two going head to head over the most ridiculous things. Callie, on one hand, loved it; she never thought the day would come when she'd hear both Arizona and Sofia arguing over anything and she found comfort in that. On the other hand, Callie also got her fair share of bickering and fighting with her headstrong four year old and that was just trying at times.<p>

And then there was _them. _They weren't moving forward any, but granted, they weren't moving backwards either. They were stuck in a rut. Since Callie told Arizona she'd give her time and space, they had become stagnant. Callie would wait just like she said; she'd wait as long as Arizona needed, even if it killed her. The problem was that she didn't know how to act. She was having a hard time carrying on with pretending nothing had happened. Sometimes Callie didn't speak all night long unless they spoke to her in order to avoid being a fool and saying the wrong thing. She didn't want it to seem like she was pushing Arizona or getting in her space, so instead she shut down.

Arizona caught on quickly, but she also didn't know how to act. She had a million thoughts running through her mind at any given moment and she couldn't sort out a single one of them. She had nobody to tell about it, which wasn't helping matters at all. She couldn't talk to Callie about it, because Callie was the problem. Maybe problem was a harsh word to use, but she was the problem. A big problem. She thought about talking to Mark, but it wasn't a conversation she wanted to have over the phone and somewhere over the years, he had become the level-headed one and Arizona wasn't sure she wanted level-headed right now. Maybe she wanted to bitch a little, and cry a little, and have a pity party for herself; Mark wouldn't be of any help there.

After Sofia had been put to bed, Arizona and Callie sat on opposite pieces of furniture, once again doing their own things and ignoring each other. The house was spotless and dinner dishes already done; it wasn't bill night and the television programs for the night were crap, so they had nothing to occupy them, which was really just code for avoidance.

"You need to go back to Seattle, Arizona." Callie looked up from the book she hadn't been reading. She'd been on the same page for over an hour.

"Wha—what?" Arizona squeaked.

"If you're serious about moving here and finding a place, you need to go home and pack. Say your goodbyes." She explained quickly when she saw tears fill the blue eyes across from her.

"Oh." The blonde exhaled in relief. She thought Callie was kicking her out. She knew how hard the silent treatment was to deal with and Arizona had been purposely giving it to Callie for weeks now. She knew how Callie dealt with things and she knew she was holding back even normal conversation to avoid pushing, so Arizona stopped talking to her, knowing that it would bring silence to the apartment. She wasn't doing it to be mean; she just needed to think and the more they talked, the closer they got, and Arizona needed to back off _because she needed to think_.

"You recycle the same clothes week after week; you need your clothes and things." Arizona used Callie's toiletries, slept in her pajama shirt, read her books; she needed to really be here, all here, if she was planning on staying.

"You're right. I know and I will." Going back to Seattle probably scared her as much as the idea of never going back. What if she got back there and decided she couldn't leave her home? What if she got back here and—

"We'll be here when you get back. I promise. We're not going anywhere." Callie had figured part of Arizona would always be scared Callie would take off again. She wasn't a fool; when she told Arizona that she had to trust her one hundred percent, she was sure that was going to be the downfall. She didn't want it to be, but she knew the blonde and after what she'd done to Arizona, trust was always going to be an issue.

"You could come with me. Make a long weekend out of it?" Arizona's voice was hopeful. She didn't want to have any reason not to trust Callie, but she did.

"No, Arizona. I can't go back to Seattle." It was barely a whisper, but her intentions were crystal clear.

"Can-can Sofia go with me? She doesn't start school for another month." This request had little to do with the lack of trust; she was a mom and as a mom she wanted to show her daughter off. Call it pride, but she loved her daughter and wanted all her friends to meet her, too.

Callie bit her lip, looking down at her book. "Yes." It wasn't how she wanted to answer, but there wasn't any other answer she could give. She would always give in to the look of hope on Arizona's face.

"What? What's wrong?" If Callie was worried over the travels and wouldn't go herself, Arizona would concede in a heartbeat. She didn't want her ex to worry about their daughter and although it stung a little that she wasn't fully trusted with Sofia's well being, she somewhat understood.

"What if Mark sees her and decides-"

"Callie." Callie's fear made sense; she didn't know Mark anymore.

"No, he can say he's not mad all he wants, but what if-" Callie trailed off, feeling foolish. She'd talked to Mark a few times over the weeks and after the first two phone calls, which consisted of him yelling and Callie crying, they had sorted things out.

"Mark gets it, Callie. He won't change his mind. We'll visit and I'll pack up things. I'll talk to the Chief, but I still have two months of paid sabbatical left and that should give him plenty of time to fill my position. I'll hire a moving company and rent out a storage unit here until I'm settled somewhere."

Callie shrugged, still staring down at her book as tears sprung to her eyes. She now had her answer and maybe that was for the best. She'd try to make it for the best. "That works."

"You're okay with that?" Arizona watched her fidgeting with the corner of the page unsure what she said that would cause that reaction in Callie.

"I'm good, Arizona." She blinked away the tears and looked up with a fake smile on her face. "It's late and I have an early surgery, so I'm going to go to bed." After marking the page, she had put the book back on the coffee table when Arizona grabbed her wrist.

"You don't have an early surgery tomorrow, Callie. Talk to me." She knew her indecisiveness was hurting Callie and she didn't mean to; she really didn't mean to.

"It's my turn to need time, Arizona." Callie leaned down and kissed the blonde's cheek. "You guys plan to fly out soon; the longer you wait, the harder it is going to be to say goodbye. I know that from experience." Which is why she needed time. All those years ago, she didn't say goodbye and now, in theory, she had to do it and it hurt even worse now. The pain of goodbye was paralyzing.

"Callie-," Arizona tried to stop her.

"Goodnight, Arizona." She tried hard to smile; this wasn't Arizona's fault.

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><p>Two days later, Callie put her daughter on a plane to the home she had left behind. She never planned on having to tell Sofia the truth, but now, one day, she would have to do it and she could only hope her daughter wouldn't hate her for that. She did what she thought was best; she thought she was doing the right thing. She'd taken everyone's future away and although Arizona came back, she came back for Sofia alone. <em>They <em>lost their chance and now Callie had to spend the rest of her life with Arizona just out of arm's reach. She wondered how long until the blonde would start dating, start really making a life here in DC while now, twice, Callie would be forced to do everything she could to let Arizona be happy, even if it meant being happy without her.

Arizona took Sofia to Seattle for a week. A week to tie up loose ends, to meet her father, _crazy _Uncle Mark, and to close that chapter of her life. Callie spent the week working a lot. Coming home to an empty house that had been full of laughter and happiness for so long and had become such a norm for her that she couldn't bear the silence. Except for her Thursday gathering, she barely left the hospital. Had Noah not known about her day off on that Thursday, she probably would have gone into work.

"You've been in that hospital from sunup to sundown for days; it's your day off, so stop sulking." Noah and Callie both had the day off and before their friends decided to put their noses where they didn't belong, Noah thought getting Callie out would be for the best. He was neutral when it came to things and Callie needed a neutral ear. Their group of friends had decided Arizona was the best thing ever for Callie; they really liked her and wanted Callie and Arizona to work. They didn't realize that the more they pushed matters, the harder they were making it on Callie. Noah did.

"I like my job; besides Sofia, it's all I have to look forward to doing."

"And we're what? Chopped liver?" Noah teased.

"I like chopped liver." Callie threaded her arm through Noah's as they walked down the U Street corridor doing some window shopping. She always got along better with men when it came to friends; sure, she liked her women friends, but she bonded on a friendship level better with men. It was less intimate and that meant it was safe.

"Good thing since chopped liver kinda likes you, too," He laughed, pulling her in closer. In the short time since Callie had come to DC, they'd become best friends. He loved his wife, but they shared something the rest of their friends never would. "How are things with Sofia?"

"They're good. She figured out how to turn off the damn alarm with the key fob, so we now need to keep our purses in our bedrooms at night. She made it all the way to the lobby before she got caught. Her achilles heel is that she loves talking too much now; she's infatuated with her voice, so she of course had to tell our lobby attendant, Kennedy, goodnight on her way out. Nothing like being woken up at three in the morning for that special delivery," Callie laughed.

"What'd you do?"

"Gave her a pat down until I found my keys and went and plopped her on her mom's bed since Arizona slept through it all anyway. I had to be up for surgery in two hours. She wants to be a mom, she can do the three in the morning, "my daughter's an escape artist" thing for a change."

"That's Sofia's first time wandering off since Arizona's been in town? That's unlike her."

"No, that's the first time in the middle of the night; we've had plenty of run-ins with Sofia's disappearing acts; it's just been a lot harder for the kid now that she has two parents to foil." Callie liked saying two parents; she'd like it even better if she could say two of us and us mean more than just that.

"How's that two parent thing working for you?"

"Honestly, it's like a breath of fresh air. You have somebody else to be worried and somebody to help take the stress off. Don't get me wrong. I love Sofia, but I was terrified of her teenage years. I wasn't sure how I'd get through them alone."

"I can sympathize. Had Stacy not come into our lives and become Super-Mom, I'm not sure what Tommy and I would have done. When his mom took off because she couldn't handle a sick kid, I was sure I was going to have to do it alone and I just knew I would screw it up somehow." Noah, like Callie, had never planned on dating. Tommy was his priority, but Stacy wouldn't take no for an answer and pursued him with a vengeance. He'd never been happier that she did.

"They do make great moms, don't they? Neither _has_ to be there, but they're there anyway because they don't see sick kids or extra work. They see _their _children whom they love. I didn't think she wanted this life and then when she came and saw Sofia, I was sure she was going to high tail it back to Seattle and never look back. But Arizona's a natural and she loves Sofia. She just sees our perfect little girl." Callie couldn't help but smile; Arizona never blinked at the impending responsibilities a child with special needs would bring; she just jumped in feet first.

"It makes you love her even more, doesn't it?"

"I didn't think that was possible, but it does, even if that doesn't matter anymore," She finished her thought sadly.

"I have to stop in here and pick up something Stacy ordered. It'll only be a minute; wanna join me?"

"I'll be right in." Callie stopped to look at the free-take one magazine racks adorning the foyer of the shop. She was flipping through one of the two magazines in her hands when Noah made his way back out. "Oh, sorry. I got side tracked."

"What do you have there?"

"Apartment guides." Callie shrugged as they started walking again.

"You're selling the condo? You love that place."

"No. I'm picking them up for Arizona. There's nothing for sale or rent in my building, so I figure before she gets back, I can have a list of places close by where she might like to live. She doesn't want to be far from Sofia and I know the area better than she does; might as well make it easier when she comes back."

"You pulled strings to get her an interview over at Children's Hospital. No, you pulled strings to get her a job over at Children's. The interview is just for show, and now you're apartment shopping for her? What's next? You gonna buy her the apartment, too? Seems to me that maybe it_ does_ matter."

"Nobody asked you for your opinion, Noah."

"Nobody ever does."

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><p>"You've been awfully quiet tonight, Callie." Melissa had been watching her friend throughout dinner and Callie hadn't said much of anything. She picked at her food and barely touched her wine. With a kid-free night; she should have at least been enjoying the luxury of alcohol.<p>

Callie looked up from where she was lost in her thoughts. "It's just been a long week."

"When do they get back?" Stacy knew Callie was hopelessly lost without Sofia. Add Arizona's new absence to the mix and she was a mess.

"Tomorrow." By the time Callie was getting home from work, they would be back.

"So, what's going on with you and Arizona?" Liz knew something had happened between them, but she wasn't sure. Callie looked more relaxed than she had in years and it had little to do with having help around the home now; Liz wasn't stupid.

"Nothing," Callie sighed to herself. "We're raising a daughter together."

"And?" Liz pushed; she wanted there to be something more. She liked Arizona; she really liked verbally sparring with Arizona. Nobody else could keep up with her but their new arrival could and besides that, she'd do Callie some good.

"And that's it." Callie did not want to get into this tonight. Noah had pushed her all day long to talk about Arizona; she was emotionally worn out.

"Guys, leave Callie alone. If she wanted to discuss her love life with you nags, she would." Noah knew how upset Callie was and figured it wasn't a good time to ask these questions; he'd done enough prying to know she was devastated. "What are you doing for Sofia next term? Public?"

"No. We still don't know any more than we did before or if she'll revert back, which there's always the possibility of her doing. I want to keep her structured and public school is not structured. I spoke to the dean at Sidwell Friends. It's not too far from the hospital and it's impossible to wander off campus with the number of bodyguards there for the politicians' kids. They have summer programs modeled after their normal school year, so I won't have to worry about finding childcare then either. They seemed excited to have her and up for the challenge as opposed to all the schools actually geared toward children with special needs that are _supposed_ to be able to handle them." The school staff didn't even blink an eye when Callie mentioned autism. When she explained the diagnosis of Sofia being mute or non-verbal as was the term being used now and that it wasn't an issue _at the moment_ but that didn't mean it wouldn't be in the future. The dean recommended that Sofia take extra classes to keep up with her ASL studies just in case. It couldn't hurt her and even if she never _needed _them again, it would do her good in the long run. He also set Callie and Arizona up with a program that would work with their schedules so they, too, could stay involved in the community and not fall behind. The school seemed too good to be true but after all the wonderful things she'd heard from parents of students enrolled there currently, she would take it.

"You don't think sending her there will breed Sofia into a snob? You're loaded, Callie, and those kids are loaded or their parents are, which means they benefit from it, too. You don't think that will affect her?" Stacy just worried, a lot. About both Tommy and Sofia. When Callie joined their circle of friends, she took on the role as the voice of Sofia's second parent when Callie needed help with things. She didn't think twice about helping out, but she never tried to step on Callie's toes either. She just knew how hard it had been for Noah, making all the decisions alone and wanted Callie to have support. Callie never minded; she knew Stacy only had the best intentions.

"No. Sofia's never gone without, but she's far from spoiled. I was raised spoiled; my daughter never will be. If anything, Arizona will keep her grounded." As far as Callie was concerned, Sofia would never think money bought you happiness; love was always going to be the priority in her house.

"How so?" Melissa piped up from the kitchen. She loved when Callie talked about Arizona; it was one of the few times that genuine smiles graced her face.

Callie laughed. She realized they hadn't seen the side of Arizona with which she'd fallen in love, but most people hadn't. She was a different person out of the hospital, so most of their co-workers didn't even know that side. And in a room full of people her own age, Arizona was in adult form. Arizona with Callie and Arizona with Sofia was a completely different person from the professional Arizona most people got to know. "They have Heelie races in the building's hallways. They blow bubbles in my living room. Bubbles! And they spend more time at the zoo than any non-staff member should."

"And you love every second of it!" Noah really wished Callie could see her love for Arizona was worth fighting to keep. So she made a mistake. That didn't mean she needed to be punished for the rest of her life for it.

"And you're not going to fight for her? For you guys?" Liz asked after Callie nodded.

"We have spent so much of _us _fighting for the other. If it was meant to be, we'd have figured it out already. It's fine, guys." It was hard enough for Callie to come to terms with how things worked out; she really didn't need them making it worse.

"You can borrow my wife any time you need one. She still thinks you're hot shit!" Melissa felt the need to lighten the mood.

"Noah does laundry," Stacy offered.

"Thanks, Stacy. I might take you up on that." Callie laughed. Nobody around her apartment liked doing laundry.

"Hey! I'm insulted." Liz feigned a pout.

"Any time I need a self esteem boost, you'll be my first call, Liz."

"Fine. I can just watch your ass from afar then," Liz screeched when her wife slapped her arm.

"Speaking of laundry, I should get going. I haven't done any since they left and I'm pretty sure both of them would like to come home to clean underwear and sheets." Callie stood up.

"What about your clothes?" Melissa walked her to the door.

"Sofia might not be spoiled, but have you seen my closets?" Callie laughed as she waved her goodbyes to head home.


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: _Not mine. Never were, never will be. If they were, Owen would fall on a spear and then tumble down the stairs and then get hit by a bus that explodes in a painful and fiery death. The end.__

_A/N: A quick apology to those who had to read any insensitive reviews left on my page and then the "crazy" reviews that followed to hide the insensitive one until I could get online to delete it. Ignorance will never be tolerated nor will using my review space to push your own "agenda". Please find another outlet for your anger and hate because the only drama we're here for is in the stories to be told. The next update won't be out until next week. Have a wonderful weekend._

_Beta'd by Sara_

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><p>While Mark got time with his daughter, Arizona got time with her friends. Granted, they were helping her pack, but it was still time she wasn't sure she'd get. When they first reached Seattle, Sofia withdrew into herself. She'd only use her voice when it was just the two of them and it took a few days for her even to leave the room where Arizona was and this included the bathroom. The first person around whom she was willing to use her voice was, oddly, Cristina. The cardio surgeon, having a background in psychology, used tough love on the kid. When she caught Sofia signing to Arizona when Karev tried talking to her, she told Sofia to cut the crap and use her voice to talk. Although Arizona doubted that was using her psychology degree at all, it worked, and Cristina soon became Sofia's best friend. She still refused to talk around Alex, but it had nothing to do with being afraid of him; Arizona's four year old daughter had a crush on the Peds surgeon. Once Sofia did open up, Mark was no longer a threat either. Until Arizona, Callie had been Sofia's whole family and though Arizona talked about grandparents, she'd never met them and Uncle Mark was the greatest person in her eyes. As a father, spoiling Sofia would never have happened, but as an uncle, he was doing his job well. Sofia was in heaven.<p>

"I can't believe you're moving to DC." Teddy fought with a roll of packing tape while Alex and Arizona emptied her kitchen cabinets into another box.

"Yup." Arizona knew she was going to get crap; Mark had been the only supportive one since she got back.

"You're moving to DC." Teddy was pouting; she was also being a world-class bitch about everything.

"You said that already." Arizona was doing her best to ignore the bitterness in her friends' voices all week long, but now that the three of them were alone, she knew it wasn't going to be so easy without somebody else to deflect.

"She should move back here. You've given up enough for her and it's about time she did something for you." Alex dumped a drawer full of flatware into another box, not bothering to sort things out. He didn't want to be packing and his actions made that clear.

"She's letting me be Sofia's mom." To Arizona, that was everything.

"_You are_ her mom. You _always_were." Teddy went through the grieving process with Arizona when she thought she lost her daughter. Arizona is and always was that little girl's mom in her eyes.

"She didn't have to let me." Arizona knew going to DC that she had no rights, but that never even crossed Callie's mind. They didn't fall apart because of hate and bitterness. Okay, maybe bitterness, but hate and vengeance never had a place in their relationship and Callie only proved that by her actions once Arizona hit the city.

"Yeah, but come on. How much did you have to fight her once you got there?" Alex knew emotional and scorned Callie and he couldn't believe she'd ever back down without a fight.

"I didn't," Arizona shrugged. Actually, any fighting over their daughter had everything to do with the stress Callie was experiencing and nothing to do with vengeance. It never had crossed Arizona's mind until that moment how easy Callie made it for her. She really had grown up over the years.

"Probably because she couldn't do it herself and was glad to have someone to dump the kid off." Alex finally took the roll of tape from Teddy and began sealing the boxes himself. He was annoyed with Callie and Arizona and Teddy's passive aggressiveness over Arizona moving was annoying him even more.

"Nope. She was doing just fine without me." Arizona had left the kitchen and moved into her bedroom where she was bringing out already packed and sealed boxes from the back of her closet. After Callie left, Arizona had packed up everything left behind with the intention of sending it to her new address with a not so nice letter attached. After she found out where Callie was, she just couldn't do it, but she couldn't bring herself to throw things out either. She never got to say goodbye and it was all that she had left.

"I doubt that." Teddy was not willing to give Callie an inch.

"She was. Sofia was happy and loved." Even with all the stress Callie was under, Arizona had no doubts that Sofia ever knew anything but love from her mother.

"And didn't talk until you came along. That's a pretty big problem." And Alex wasn't willing to blame Arizona for anything; in his eyes, it would always be Callie's fault.

"They were doing just fine. Callie and Sofia were fine. They signed. If it was such a big deal, Callie would have dropped her off at some school and never thought twice about it, but it wasn't and she didn't. Callie learned to sign and so did Sofia."

"But _you _cured her." Alex jumped when Arizona threw a box of clothing in his direction.

"There was _nothing _wrong with her. She wasn't sick, Karev. She isn't sick, so there's nothing to cure. Got it?" Arizona could feel her blood boiling just like her first day in DC when in the dean's office when they were discussing sending Sofia to a special-special school.

"Dude, Mama Bird's a little bit over protective!"

"Alex, back off!" She might have held back on the dean, but she was not taking any crap from her friends, not where her daughter was concerned.

"He's just worried about you. He's afraid, we're afraid, that Callie's going to take advantage of you." Teddy tried to defuse the ticking time bomb before Arizona really exploded.

"I've been living under her roof since I got there, on her dime. Food, bills, hell, if we go out and do something, she _always _pays. I had to fight with her to pay for our flights out here and I still lost on the moving company. If anyone's being taken advantage of, it's Callie." Arizona knew part of it was guilt for her ex, but part of it was who Callie was. She asked Arizona to stay in DC, so she felt responsible for the costs associated with that favor.

"Arizona, you have to see where we're coming from; we don't want you getting hurt." Teddy hadn't been of any help since arriving, but was now putting actual effort in. Her friend was stressed out and she wasn't helping at all.

"She's not going to hurt me, guys," Arizona sighed when she collapsed onto the couch. She knew she was going to get shit from them, but this went above and beyond their normal torment.

"How do you know?" Alex would fly out to DC himself if Callie hurt her.

"I just know."

"How, Arizona?" Teddy couldn't understand how easy and accepting Arizona was being when Callie had destroyed her heart once before.

"Because she still loves me. She didn't leave me because she didn't. She left because she did." As screwed up as bailing was, they'd each left the other to make the other happy. One day, she hoped they could learn to talk and get it right because in trying to help the other, they always ended up hurting her instead.

"Dude, that makes no sense." Alex abandoned his job to sit across from Arizona on the coffee table. He could hear something in her voice that worried him.

"It does to me." Arizona was near tears; she needed support here. She needed them to let her go because _she needed_to do this.

"Help us understand. We don't see how you can forgive what she did." Teddy sat next to her, waiting for an explanation.

"Mark and I made her life hell. She thought I was unhappy, that I was doing it out of twisted guilt because of Africa." It might have started out that way; she didn't want to lose Callie twice, but it didn't end up being the reason she jumped in feet first. She wanted Callie, with everything, including an unplanned pregnancy with her best friend. She wanted the forever with babies because she loved Callie.

"You and Sloan were super parents. You went to every appointment and supported her." Alex watched Arizona flourish as a mother to be; how could anybody think she was unhappy?

"And we fought _all_the time."

"When? It was all happy parents to be at work!" Teddy saw Arizona's nerves and anxieties where the new baby was concerned, but even then, she was happy and supportive.

"Yeah rainbows and butterflies and crap." Arizona's usual peppy-self had turned into motherzilla from planet gross me out, I'm so happy and most days, Alex wanted to throw up on his boss because she seemed so happy.

"And at home it was a war zone. Was Callie wrong in taking off? Yes. But she thought she was doing the right thing. She was giving me my life back. She didn't know how excited I was because _I never told her_. I told her everything she did wrong and punished her every day for it, so she had no reason to think otherwise. I was just as wrong. Callie was protecting our daughter and trying to make me happy. We both screwed up." Arizona wiped at the falling tears as Teddy squeezed her shoulder. She had helped chase Callie away and because she, because they, couldn't communicate, she lost almost five years, five precious years of time.

"How do you know she still loves you? It's been five years, Arizona." Teddy finally could see what Arizona was hiding. She was living on the hope that something might still be there for the two of them. She wasn't just going to DC for her daughter; she was going to DC for her future.

"Because five years hasn't changed my feelings for her either."

"But you can't be sure, Robbins. Just because you feel that way-" Alex watched a rouge creep up from under Arizona's shirt collar and he immediately understood. "Dude, you two had sex."

"Karev, this conversation is done! Pack boxes. It's what I'm paying you for." Arizona jumped up from the couch, trying to distance herself before she had more to explain.

"You aren't paying me!" Alex huffed and returned to taping boxes from the kitchen items while Teddy began filling another box.

"I'm letting you be my friend, aren't I?" Arizona smiled sweetly.

"Showing me your boobs would be better payment." Alex mumbled under his breath, forgetting that Teddy was right behind him. "Ow!" His hand flew to the back of his head where Teddy's had come into contact with it seconds before.

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><p>Callie opened the door to her apartment and immediately saw her daughter pouting at the kitchen table. "You're home! What are you doing home early?" She was ecstatic that she'd come home to her daughter and not the waiting pile of laundry in her washroom.<p>

Sofia jumped up from the table, running to Callie's legs with tears in her eyes. "Whoa, what's wrong?" Sofia started signing a mile a minute when Arizona stepped out of Callie's bedroom.

"She's mad I wouldn't give her ice cream and thinks if she signs at me, I won't keep up. I'm a quick learner, kid." Arizona crossed her arms, indicating her own anger.

"Sofia, voice!" Callie ordered when her daughter kept signing and ignoring Arizona.

"I want ice cream," she huffed, still signing as well. "And _she_won't give me none."

"She won't give you _any_. And _she_has a name, Sofia." Callie would not take disrespect from her daughter in any form.

Sofia threw her arms up in the air, clearly exasperated that her mommy wasn't taking her side. "Mama." In her short time talking, Sofia had aced the whining aspect of verbal communication. "Mama won't give me ice cream."

"Sofia, it's late. We're not in Seattle anymore. It's past your bedtime here." Explaining time zones to a four year old was like explaining a gastric bypass to a gorilla. All they understood was nothing. Neither understood anything.

"Uncle Mark gave me ice creams before bed." Sofia continued pouting and hugging tight to her mommy's legs.

"Tomorrow, after dinner, we'll take you to Yogi Castle, but it's late now, Sof." The Uncle Mark comment hit home like the four year old knew it would. Even at four, she was brilliant. Callie was a jealous mom and couldn't be shown up by Uncle Mark.

"Go get ready for bed. I need to talk to Mommy." Arizona waited until Sofia stomped out of the room before turning silently to return to Callie's room.

This couldn't be good if Arizona wanted _that_much distance between them and their daughter but Callie sucked it up and followed. She knew things would be tense when Arizona returned from Seattle; saying goodbye was not going to be easy, but she didn't think things would suck this fast.

"You have too many clothes!" Arizona was already pacing by the time Callie joined her.

Looking around, her room looked as if it had been hit by a tornado. There were clothes and shoes scattered everywhere accompanied by large suitcases opened with their contents spilling out all over the floor and bed. "I like clothes." Callie looked on with hopeful confusion.

"There are too many. I need more room." Arizona threw her arms up, clearly exasperated and Callie had to bit her lip in order not to smile. It was where Sofia had picked up the annoying habit over the past few months and though completely disrespectful, Callie was pleased over the idea her daughter, their daughter, could so easily absorb Arizona's mannerisms into her own forming personality.

"I'm not following you, Arizona."

"Every drawer and closet I open, they're overflowing with clothes. Tons of clothes. You have more clothes than a sorority girl," Arizona snapped. She wasn't angry. She was just at wit's end and nervous.

"I _was _a sorority girl, Arizona." Callie smiled when her ex growled.

"Fine, Calliope, a sorority house. You have more clothes than whole damn sorority house!" She stopped pacing to glare at Callie's cheekiness.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?" Callie couldn't help but smile when Arizona growled again. She was enjoying this too much.

"Where am I supposed to put my stuff?" Arizona kicked at an open suitcase, sending clothes flying into the air. "If you think I'm going to trek across the apartment every time I need something, you're sorely mistaken, Calliope. I want my clothes in my room, not the spare closet in the office guest room."

"Your room?" Callie's grin spread.

"Our room?" Arizona stopped her tantrum brought on from the stress of how this all would pan out to offer her own hopeful smile.

"Are we-" Callie couldn't finish her thought. She was too excited and optimistic to have it all taken away now.

"—going to make this work? Yes, we're going to make _us _work." After her friends were done grilling her and finally accepted her decision, Arizona realized how much her move was also dependent on Callie, on them. She needed Callie as much as she needed Sofia and once she accepted what her heart was telling her, Arizona packed up her daughter and took the next flight home.

"What changed your mind?" Callie stepped closer to what was now a nervous blonde. Not that Callie even cared why Arizona changed her mind, only that she did.

"Sofia wasn't the only part of my dreams that I lost. You were, too. It was you I wanted my family with, Calliope. I love you. We can't change the past, but we can change our future. I want my dreams back and that includes you." Tears were streaming down her face when Callie's arms came around her waist, pulling her in close. Tucking her head into Callie's neck, they held on tight, absorbing the moment, and finally realizing it never had to end again.

"I love you, too." Callie kissed Arizona's temple as the rest of her world fell back into place.


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: _Not mine. Never were, never will be. If they were, Owen would fall on a spear and then tumble down the stairs and then get hit by a bus that explodes in a painful and fiery death. The end. Vultures would be involved as well and maybe snakes too.__

_A/N: I know, I know, a week and you have been so brilliantly patient. Things were just very busy this week and I didn't get this to my beta before her week got busy but here it is. I hope it lives up to expectations. I know I've contacted you all individually that have reviewed but everybody's kind words have meant so much during this story. I LOVED writing this and I'm so glad it touched so many people. Please stay tuned for it's sequel that will be posted, starting on Monday, which is alsoWorld Autism Awareness Day._

_Warning: Intimate relations enclosed._

_Beta'd by Sara_

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><p><em>The Epilogue<em>

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><p>Callie loved days like this. It was early autumn and the weather hadn't turned for the worst yet. The trees were just beginning their transformation into the spectrum of shades of orange before they'd litter the ground in the cycle of new birth that winter brought. It would probably be another harsh winter for them. The previous one brought blizzard after blizzard to the area, causing problems both at home and at work for the ortho surgeon, but Callie even looked forward to that this year. Things were good and though she still had the same worries plaguing her as last year, she also had Arizona by her side to get through it together. Last year, she had spent hours outside in the middle of a blizzard looking for her daughter who left the apartment in the middle of the night. She cried for days after finding her safe down at the police station, because every worst-case scenario of her daughter freezing to death in feet upon feet of snow almost came true. Last winter, she was called in for a pile up on the highway in the middle of another blizzard and had to take Sofia to the hospital daycare where the providers didn't listen to her warnings about Sofia's wandering and she was found hours later in the morgue sitting next to a dead body as if it was nothing. Last winter, Callie's blood pressure got so high her doctor warned her of going into cardiac arrest if she didn't learn to manage her stress levels better. When Arizona showed up, Callie thought she <em>was<em>going to have a heart attack right there in the hospital, but instead of the fallout she was expecting, here she was, waiting for her girlfriend and daughter to make their way over to her car.

"Hi, Mommy!" Sofia yelled from across the parking lot where Callie was leaning back against their SUV, waiting for the two to arrive. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two coming toward her. Both had carefree grins plastered on their faces. Hand in swinging hand, they came closer as their laughter reached Callie's ears. When both women had relatively light schedules, they'd meet up from work and drive together to pick up their daughter from school. Sofia was doing well at school. Being five now, she was mainstreamed into Sidwell Friends' kindergarten classes. Though there'd been no jailbreaks, there'd been plenty of attempts, but the school handled it and only called the mothers to inform them, not to punish them for it. Today, however, was not a fluke in schedules that brought them to the school together. Callie and Arizona had spent the morning in court legalizing Arizona's role as Sofia's mom; Arizona had officially adopted Sofia as her own. Not that anyone would ever question Arizona being Sofia's mother. They were two peas in a pod. But now Arizona had all the legal rights afforded to her as well. Callie was so happy she could burst.

"Hi, baby." Callie scooped her daughter up, peppering her with kisses before she secured the young girl into her booster seat in the back of the vehicle. They were off to celebrate and though neither woman saw Hershey Park as a romantic getaway to do much _celebrating_, this weekend was about family. They were a family.

"I love you." After shutting the door on her daughter, Callie stole a quick kiss from her girlfriend. The past six months had been wonderful and things were only looking up. They'd worked out all their differences and set rules and boundaries so nothing like their past would ever come between them again. Sofia was their number one priority and then each other and though things weren't perfect, their daughter was, and that was all that mattered.

"I love _you_." Arizona smiled before climbing into the passenger seat. Today meant the world to her and as happy as Callie was, Arizona felt ten times happier. She might have lost five years, but there wasn't a second that went by that she regretted the past. They wouldn't be where they were today had they not gone through hell to get there. They would never have realized what they were missing had they stayed in Seattle, because they never would have known any different and she didn't doubt they'd be unhappy and barely getting by if that were the case. Things worked out better than she could ever have imagined.

"So, I was thinking-" Arizona wasn't sure how her girlfriend would take her idea, but it had been circulating around her brain long enough that she was ready to hash it out with Callie.

"Is that something new for you?" Callie teased and then scoffed as she watched Arizona's middle finger rub across her eyebrow. "I'm not sure that was the kind of sign language they had in mind when they told us to keep practicing."

Arizona laughed before reaching down to lace her fingers through Callie's on the gear changer. "Yeah, well, it was the first sign I ever learned; don't want to forget that now, do we?"

"What were you thinking?"

"Support groups. I love the support we get from ours," Arizona paused, trying to collect her thoughts.

"That's good since that's why we go." She knew Arizona was working through what to say, but teasing the blonde had become a daily occurrence just because she could. Just because Arizona was here and that meant she could tease her, make love to her, or even argue with her anytime she wanted; she didn't take anything for granted anymore.

"Will you let me finish?" Arizona huffed. She enjoyed the teasing and did her own fair share, but that didn't mean she couldn't give Callie a hard time for being a brat.

"Go ahead. I'm all ears." Callie looked in her rearview mirror at her daughter; Sofia was out cold and would probably sleep the whole two hours up the highway to their destination.

"I love the support _we_get, but I can't help but wonder about the kids or their siblings and what they're going through. Growing up, Tim got tons of extra attention for his dyslexia and that always left me feeling left out. I know it's not the same thing, but I can't imagine it's easy on any of them. I've done some research and I was thinking of starting a family support group, not just for families dealing with autism, but for any family dealing with issues that put strain on the rest of the members." She saw it in their friends' kids where one child got more attention and not because that child was loved any more or less but because that kid needed it. Everybody needed a little support.

"What would that entail?" Callie liked the idea, but what she liked even more was how Arizona dove right in without ever looking back. Not only did she make their life better just by loving them, but also she wanted to make everybody else's life just a little easier.

"It means instead of finding babysitters or only one parent or guardian making the support meetings, everybody would be welcomed. The kids closed off from society would have places to make friends where they wouldn't have to fear being judged. The siblings could connect with other siblings and have a few moments to talk to someone else who gets it. I've watched families torn apart from a child falling to incurable diseases because they came on so fast and didn't have the support behind them. Their other kids acted out because they didn't understand and had nobody who understood them. The parents were trying to save their one child and unselfishly forgot about the other ones. The difference here is these kids and families will live with this their whole lives and so everybody will go through it their whole lives; maybe a family-oriented support group could stop that cycle or at least make it less painful." Arizona's hands were sweating. She still had her moments when she was afraid of overstepping boundaries with Callie, even if she had free reign and equal say in their family and she was worried this might be the moment she did just that.

"I love you."

"Does that mean you like the idea or that you think I'm crazy?"

"It means I know you're crazy, but I love you anyway and I think it's an excellent idea. Sofia was lucky that I made friends with Noah, Stacy, Liz, and Melissa because she had automatic friends built in; not every parent has the time to go to the meetings, make friends, and then make time for their friends. It would be a nice thing to do, giving everybody an evening a week to come together like that." Callie loved how caring Arizona was and every day she fell more in love with the blonde and she didn't think that was possible.

"I don't want to discount the need for the other support groups; we all need time without kids or spouses to talk through things, so this could be in addition. People could go to both every week or whatever fits their schedules."

"You're great." Callie was so proud of Arizona.

"I'm great?"

"Yes, you're just really great." She was smiling so big her cheeks hurt and she wanted nothing more than to pull the car over and kiss Arizona.

"I think you're pretty great." Callie had opened her home, her family, her life, and her heart to Arizona after everything they'd been through; in her eyes, Callie was the great one.

"You're just saying that because you wanna sleep with me."

"I already get to sleep with you. _Every night_."

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><p>"She's out cold, I didn't even have to read a story because she was pretty much gone by the time her head hit the pillow." Arizona returned to their bedroom just as Callie was climbing into bed after her shower. For a last minute decision, Callie had been able to score a pretty awesome hotel suite with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a lounging area with a small kitchen. She wasn't sure how her girlfriend could pull that off during the start of what was supposed to be peak season, especially when she wasn't talking to her parents so she couldn't drop her dad's name, but Arizona wasn't going to complain. This was so much better than the two queen sized beds in one room that she was expecting.<p>

"I figured as much. She was pretty much dead weight when I carried her out of the park." Callie grabbed for her book as she settled back against the pillows.

"We had fun today. I'm not the amusement park type, but it's different watching your daughter experience it. The lines and crappy food aren't as annoying because Sofia was having so much fun." Arizona leaned back against the doorframe watching her girlfriend. Her dark brown locks were cascading over her shoulders, leaving the bronzed skin damp from her shower, causing Arizona's heart to beat faster in her chest. Today was perfect and she didn't want it to end.

"Are you coming to bed or are you planning on standing there all night in practice for tomorrow? Because today was still a work day. Tomorrow's probably going to be hell." The half day in the park was a test to see if Sofia could function with the crowds and everything and she did wonderfully, but that didn't mean tomorrow wouldn't bring problems and they needed sleep to be able to keep up with their five year old daughter.

"Why did you give Sofia my name?" Arizona hadn't asked yet because, to be honest, it had slipped her mind, but today, when the judge read off Sofia's full name during the adoption proceedings, she decided that it was time for those answers. She understood why Callie had still given Sofia the Sloan part of her name because he'd always be her father regardless of his role, but she didn't understand where the Robbin came into play.

Callie looked up from her book and watched Arizona fidgeting in the doorway. When she filled out the birth certificate, she didn't think twice how inappropriate it might be for Sofia's name to be what it was, because the blonde would always be a part of their lives even three thousand miles away. Callie might have left her behind with no intentions of ever rectifying her mistakes but Arizona would always have the other piece of her heart. Arizona and Sofia. Before she even knew what her future held, Arizona was it for her. There'd never be another woman to take her place or even try to fill her shoes because when Callie walked out on the love of her life, she swore Arizona would be the last woman she ever wanted to love. You couldn't replace perfection and to her, Arizona would always be perfection, regardless of how they ended and why.

"She was perfect. Ten fingers, ten toes; everything about her was perfect. It still is. The only name that would do her justice was yours. When I told Addison that you were it for me, and that I'd always love you, they weren't just words. I might have walked away, but I was going to raise our daughter to—I wasn't going to let you down. Everything I did for Sofia was to make you happy, even if I thought you'd never know. If you ever found out, no matter how angry with me you were, I wanted you to be proud of me for raising her the way you would have had I given you the chance." Callie wiped at her wet cheeks. Arizona had always doubted that she would be a good mother, but Callie hadn't ever thought anything but that the blonde would be an amazing mother. She doubted herself on a daily basis, but she worked hard to be everything she knew Arizona would be.

"I am proud of you; when I got here and everything was a mess between us, I was still so proud of everything you had been and done for Sofia. You raised a wonderful kid, a perfect kid." Arizona wiped at her own tears before turning back toward the other room. "I forgot something. I'll be right back." She disappeared from sight as Callie grabbed a tissue to dry her face.

"Why did you turn up Sofia's CD player if she's sound asleep? I hate Baby Beluga, Arizona." Callie could hear the distinct lyrics of her least favorite song even as Arizona closed their bedroom door.

"'Cause." She withheld her smile as she made her way to the bed.

"Are you trying to annoy me because I played Elvis on the ride here? Because it's working," Callie moaned, knowing the song would be on repeat until one of them got up in the middle of the night to shut it off, but not before Callie had dreams of whales and dolphins and children chanting the obnoxious lyrics.

"No." Although it was a pretty brilliant payback, but that was far from Arizona's intentions as she climbed on the bed, taking Callie's book and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Arizona, no. We can't. Sofia's in the other room," Callie argued as her girlfriend straddled her hips, pinning the lower half of her body to the bed.

"Sofia's always in the other room." It _was_a perfect day and Arizona intended on ending it as perfectly as it began.

"Arizona Robbins!"

"Yes, Calliope Torres?" Arizona's laughs turned into moans when Callie bucked her hips in an attempt to throw her off, but instead caused a delicious friction between their heated bodies.

"These walls are thinner than the condo's." Callie wasn't sure why she was fighting it when she wanted it probably more than her girlfriend did, but she also didn't want their daughter interrupting. Sofia's radar went off when her mothers were being intimate and had more than a handful of times decided that was the perfect time to barge into the room to get into bed with them. It took lots of patience to teach Sofia to knock first and wait for an answer before she was allowed to open closed doors in the apartment.

"Why do you think I turned up the music? We wouldn't want Sofia hearing her mommy moaning, now would we?" She leaned in and nipped at the exposed tanned neck under her as Callie's hands found her panty-clothed ass and squeezed tight.

"If your daughter hears us—"

"She is my daughter, isn't she?" Arizona scraped her teeth over Callie's bare shoulder before pulling the tank top off to give her more canvas to paint with her tongue.

"She is." Callie's breaths became shallow as Arizona's lips attached to her erect nipple, pulling it deep into her mouth. She could feel wetness begin seeping through the thin layer of lace of Arizona's panties and onto her bare stomach.

"Say it again." She switched from one breast to the other, tracing her tongue around the tight bud. The gasps coming from her lover along with Callie's fingers digging deep into her ass were making it hard to concentrate.

"If your daughter hears us—" Callie moaned when Arizona bit down before returning to teasing her with just the tip of her tongue.

"Then you might want to be quiet, huh?" Arizona laughed, pulling back to discard her own shirt. She needed to feel flesh against flesh as she lay flush against her partner with Callie pulling her as close as humanly possible.

"What are you doing?" Arizona squeaked when she went from lying on Callie to being pinned underneath her as tanned hands pulled her panties down her thighs, leaving them there. The cold air combined with the searing wetness between her legs was a shock to her system and before she knew it, Callie's fingers were tracing through her wet folds.

"I'm touching you." Callie grinned when Arizona's eyes fluttered shut in pleasure from the pressure being applied on her erect, throbbing bundle of nerves.

"Okay. Don't stop." For all of ten seconds, she was distraught over their change of positions but those thoughts quickly went by the wayside as Callie began teasing her over stimulated sex. "Just don't stop."

Callie didn't plan on it. She never wanted to stop. Feeling Arizona's body begin to tense under the ministrations of her fingers against her clit, Callie reached down, entering her with two taut fingers. Moans clouded the sounds of singing whales as Arizona rocked her hips with each thrust. She was already on edge, but she wanted it to last. She wanted to remember this moment, the moment when she made love with her partner on the day she became Sofia's mom in more than words. They were cementing their future and Arizona never wanted it to end.

"Let go." Callie leaned forward, whispering into Arizona's ear, her hand never letting up its quick pace to bring her into pure bliss.

Arizona's hands, which had been gripped tightly to the sheets, were now pulling Callie's face to hers. They shared messy kisses as Arizona tried to focus on experiencing every ounce of pleasure Callie had to offer before she exploded, crying out into her lover's mouth. As Arizona squeezed her fingers to the point that they were unable to move in and out any longer, Callie curled them, her thumb flicking over her clit as Arizona continued to ride out the waves of pleasure. "Oh God, what are you doing to me?" She had no time to come down as another climax slammed through her system, draining her of coherent thought and motor function. Lying there blissed out, it wasn't until the cold air of the room brought chills to her skin that she realized Callie was no longer laying atop her. Her panties now had met the fate of Callie's book as her lover took position between her legs.

"I can't go again." Or she thought she couldn't until Callie's tongue dipped through her soaked folds, reigniting the throbbing of pleasure as all of her blood rushed once again between her legs.

Purposely ignoring her lover's engorged nub, Callie's tongue traced and teased Arizona's heated wet core. Today was all about Arizona and Callie intended to bring her unlimited, indescribable pleasures until she passed out. When fingers began pulling at her hair, pushing her head further down, Callie thrust her tongue as deep as it could reach until cries and screams filled the air once again. She wasn't rushing this time. She was going to worship the woman under her like she deserved.

Arizona woke up feeling drunk or drugged or maybe hung over. Her head was foggy and her body felt like it had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson, but it was the best kind of exhaustion she could imagine. Turning toward her lover, planning to pay her back for the wonderful night since Callie refused to be touched and made love to her until the wee hours of the morning, Arizona's objectives were cut short. Lying on her back was her beautiful girlfriend, sound asleep with their beautiful daughter wrapped securely in her arms; both were snoring in unison. Never in a million years did she think the sight before her would ever replace her need for sex, but she got more pleasure out of the two loves of her life cuddling together than anything else. They were beautiful and they were hers. They were her family. Scooting closer to the pair, Arizona wrapped her arm around both of them, pulling them in tight against her as she snuggled back down for a few more hours of sleep. Nothing was going to come between them again.

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><p><strong>The End of this Chapter of their lives and onto the next. Thank you for reading! <strong>


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